An  Introductory 

Acquaintanc 
raith  One  Hundr 
eaid  Fift^^  of  Our 
Common  Birds 


Krpj  'T  T"p    TIT 


nmmiaafmsmmmmmmmmaii 


LIBRARY 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

SANTA  BARBARA 


PRESENTED  BY 

MR.    GEORGE   COBB 


1C.SB    LIBRAR 


BIRD  NEIGHBORS 


CARDINAL    GROSBEAK 


BIRD  NEIGHBORS,  an 

INTRODUCTORY  ACQUAINTANCE 
WITH  ONE  HUNDRED  AND  FIFTY 
BIRDS  COMMONLY  FOUND  IN 
THE  GARDENS,  MEADOWS,  AND 
WOODS    ABOUT    OUR    HOMES 


BY 


NELTJE   BLANCHAN 

WITH  INTRODUCTION  BY 

JOHN    BURROUGHS 

WITH    MANY   PHOTOGRAPHIC 
ILLUSTRATIONS     IN    COLOR 


^ 


GROSSET  &  DUNLAP 

PUBLISHERS        /.         NEW  YORK 


Copyright,  1904,  by 
Doubleday,  Page  &  Company 

Copyright,  1897,  ^7 
Doubleday  &  McClure  Company 

Colored  plates  copyright,  1900,  by 
A.  W.  Mumford,  Chicago 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 


Introduction  by  John  Burroughs 

Preface    

List  of  Colored  Plates 

I.  Bird  Families: 

Their  Characteristics  and  the  Representatives  of  Each 
Family  included  in  "  Bird  Neighbors  " 

II.  Habitats  of  Birds 

III.  Seasons  of  Birds 

IV.  Birds  Grouped  According  to  Size     . 

V.  Descriptions  of  Birds  Grouped  According  to  Color 
Birds  Conspicuously  Black      .        .        „        . 
Birds  Conspicuously  Black  and  White    . 
Dusky,  Gray,  and  Slate-colored  Birds    . 

Blue  and  Bluish  Birds 

Brown,  Olive  or  Grayish  Brown,  and  Brown  and 

Gray  Sparrowy  Birds       .... 
Green,  Greenish  Gray,  Olive,  and  Yellowish  Olive 

Birds 

Birds  Conspicuously  Yellow  and  Orange 
Birds  Conspicuously  Red  of  any  Shade  . 
Index        


PAGE 

vii 


IX 

xi 


I 

17 
25 
3} 

39 

51 
65 
97 

113 

167 
187 
213 
229 


PREFACE 

Not  to  have  so  much  as  a  bowing  acquaintance  with  the 
birds  that  nest  in  our  gardens  or  under  the  very  eaves  of  our 
houses ;  that  haunt  our  wood-piles ;  keep  our  fruit-trees  free  from 
slugs;  waken  us  with  their  songs,  and  enliven  our  walks  along 
the  roadside  and  through  the  woods,  seems  to  be,  at  least,  a 
breach  of  etiquette  toward  some  of  our  most  kindly  disposed 
neighbors. 

Birds  of  prey,  game  and  water  birds  are  not  included  in  the 
book.  The  following  pages  are  intended  to  be  nothing  more  than 
a  familiar  introduction  to  the  birds  that  live  near  us.  Even  in  the 
principal  park  of  a  great  city  like  New  York,  a  bird-lover  has  found 
more  than  one  hundred  and  thirty  species;  as  many,  probably, 
as  could  be  discovered  in  the  same  sized  territory  anywhere. 

The  plan  of  the  book  is  not  a  scientific  one,  if  the  term 
scientific  is  understood  to  mean  technical  and  anatomical.  The 
purpose  of  the  writer  is  to  give,  in  a  popular  and  accessible  form, 
knowledge  which  is  accurate  and  reliable  about  the  life  of  our 
common  birds.  This  knowledge  has  not  been  collected  from  the 
stuffed  carcasses  of  birds  in  museums,  but  gleaned  afield.  In  a 
word,  these  short  narrative  descriptions  treat  of  the  bird's  char- 
acteristics of  size,  color,  and  flight;  its  peculiarities  of  instinct 
and  temperament;  its  nest  and  home  life;  its  choice  of  food;  its 
songs;  and  of  the  season  in  which  we  may  expect  it  to  play  its 
part  in  the  great  panorama  Nature  unfolds  with  faithful  precision 
year  after  year.  They  are  an  attempt  to  make  the  bird  so  live 
before  the  reader  that,  when  seen  out  of  doors,  its  recognition 
shall  be  instant  and  cordial,  like  that  given  to  a  friend. 

The  coloring  described  in  this  book  is  sometimes  more  vivid 
than  that  found  in  the  works  of  some  learned  authorities,  whose 
conflicting  testimony  is  often  sadly  bewildering  to  the  novice. 
In  different  parts  of  the  country,  and  at  different  seasons  of  the 
year,  the  plumage  of  some  birds  undergoes  many  changes.  The 
reader  must  remember,  therefore,  that  the  specimens  examined 
and  described  were  not,  as  before  stated,  the  faded  ones  in  our 
museums,  but  live  birds  in  their  fresh,  spring  plumage,  studied 
afield. 


The  birds  have  been  classed  into  color  groups  in  the  belief 
that  this  method,  more  than  any  other,  will  make  identification 
most  easy.  The  color  of  the  bird  is  the  first,  and  often  the  only, 
characteristic  noticed.  But  they  have  also  been  classified  accord- 
ing to  the  localities  for  which  they  show  decided  preferences  and 
in  which  they  are  most  likely  to  be  found.  Again,  they  have 
been  grouped  according  to  the  season  when  they  may  be  expected. 
In  the  brief  paragraphs  that  deal  with  groups  of  birds  separated 
into  the  various  families  represented  in  the  book,  the  characteristics 
and  traits  of  each  clan  are  clearly  emphasized.  By  these  several 
aids  it  is  believed  the  merest  novice  will  be  able  to  quickly  identify 
any  bird  neighbor  that  is  neither  local  nor  rare. 

To  the  uninitiated  or  uninterested  observer,  all  small,  dull- 
colored  birds  are  "common  sparrows."  The  closer  scrutiny  of 
the  trained  eye  quickly  differentiates,  and  picks  out  not  only  the 
Song,  the  Canada,  and  the  Fox  Sparrows,  but  finds  a  dozen  other 
familiar  friends  where  one  who  "has  eyes  and  sees  not"  does 
not  even  suspect  their  presence.  Ruskin  says:  "The  more  I 
think  of  it,  I  find  this  conclusion  more  impressed  upon  me,  that 
the  greatest  thing  a  human  soul  ever  does  in  this  world  is  to  see 
something.  .  .  .  Hundreds  of  people  can  talk  for  one  who 
can  think,  but  thousands  can  think  for  one  who  can  see.  To  see 
clearly  is  poetry,  prophecy,  and  religion — all  in  one." 

While  the  author  is  indebted  to  all  the  time-honored  standard 
authorities,  and  to  many  ornithologists  of  the  present  day, — too 
many  for  individual  mention, — it  is  to  Mr.  John  Burroughs  her 
deepest  debt  is  due.  To  this  clear-visioned  prophet,  who  has 
opened  the  blind  eyes  of  thousands  to  the  delights  that  Nature 
holds  within  our  easy  reach,  she  would  gratefully  acknowledge 
many  obligations:  first  of  all,  for  the  plan  on  which  "Bird  Neigh- 
bors "  is  arranged ;  next,  for  his  patient  kindness  in  reading  and 
annotating  the  manuscript  of  the  book;  and,  not  least,  for  the 
inspiration  of  his  perennially  charming  writings  that  are  so  largely 
responsible  for  the  ready-made  audience  now  awaiting  writers  on 
out-of-door  topics. 

Neltje   Blanchan. 


INTRODUCTION 

I  WRITE  these  few  introductory  sentences  to  this  volume  only 
to  second  so  worthy  an  attempt  to  quicken  and  enlarge  the  gen- 
eral interest  in  our  birds.  The  book  itself  is  merely  an  introduc- 
tion, and  is  only  designed  to  place  a  few  clews  in  the  reader's 
hands  which  he  himself  or  herself  is  to  follow  up.  I  can  say  that 
it  is  reliable  and  is  written  in  a  vivacious  strain  and  by  a  real 
bird  lover,  and  should  prove  a  help  and  a  stimulus  to  any  one 
who  seeks  by  the  aid  of  its  pages  to  become  better  acquainted 
with  our  songsters.  The  pictures,  with  a  few  exceptions,  are 
remarkably  good  and  accurate,  and  these,  with  the  various  group- 
ing of  the  birds  according  to  color,  season,  habitat,  etc.,  ought  to 
render  the  identification  of  the  birds,  with  no  other  weapon  than 
an  opera  glass,  an  easy  matter. 

When  I  began  the  study  of  the  birds  I  had  access  to  a  copy 
of  Audubon,  which  greatly  stimulated  my  interest  in  the  pursuit, 
but  I  did  not  have  the  opera  glass,  and  I  could  not  take  Audubon 
with  me  on  my  walks,  as  the  reader  may  this  volume,  and  he 
will  find  these  colored  plates  quite  as  helpful  as  those  of  Audubon 
or  Wilson. 

But  you  do  not  want  to  make  out  your  bird  the  first  time; 
the  book  or  your  friend  must  not  make  the  problem  too  easy  for 
you.  You  must  go  again  and  again,  and  see  and  hear  your  bird 
under  varying  conditions  and  get  a  good  hold  of  several  of  its 
characteristic  traits.  Things  easily  learned  are  apt  to  be  easily  for- 
gotten. Some  ladies,  beginning  the  study  of  birds,  once  wrote  to 
me,  asking  if  I  would  not  please  come  and  help  them,  and  set 
them  right  about  certain  birds  in  dispute.  I  replied  that  that 
would  be  getting  their  knowledge  too  easily;  that  what  I  and 
any  one  else  told  them  they  would  be  very  apt  to  forget,  but  that 
the  things  they  found  out  themselves  they  would  always  remem- 
ber. We  must  in  a  way  earn  what  we  have  or  keep.  Only  thus 
docs  it  become  ours,  a  real  part  of  us. 

Not  very  long  afterward  I  had  the  pleasure  of  walking  with 
one  of  the  ladies,  and  I  found  her  eye  and  ear  quite  as  sharp  as 
my  own,  and  that  she  was  in  a  fair  way  to  conquer  the  bird  king- 
dom without  any  outside  help.  She  said  that  the  groves  and 
fields,  through  which  she  used  to  walk  with  only  a  languid  inter- 


est,  were  now  completely  transformed  to  her  and  afforded  her 
the  keenest  pleasure;  a  whole  new  world  of  interest  had  been 
disclosed  to  her;  she  felt  as  if  she  was  constantly  on  the  eve  of 
some  new  discovery;  the  next  turn  in  the  path  might  reveal  to 
her  a  new  warbler  or  a  new  vireo.  I  remember  the  thrill  she 
seemed  to  experience  when  I  called  her  attention  to  a  purple  finch 
singing  in  the  tree-tops  in  front  of  her  house,  a  rare  visitant  she 
had  not  before  heard.  The  thrill  would  of  course  have  been 
greater  had  she  identified  the  bird  without  my  aid.  One  would 
rather  bag  one's  own  game,  whether  it  be  with  a  bullet  or  an 
eyebeam. 

The  experience  of  this  lady  is  the  experience  of  all  in  whom 
is  kindled  this  bird  enthusiasm.  A  new  interest  is  added  to  life; 
one  more  resource  against  ennui  and  stagnation.  If  you  have 
only  a  city  yard  with  a  few  sickly  trees  in  it,  you  will  find  great 
delight  in  noting  the  numerous  stragglers  from  the  great  army  of 
spring  and  autumn  migrants  that  find  their  way  there.  If  you 
live  in  the  country,  it  is  as  if  new  eyes  and  new  ears  were  given 
you,  with  a  correspondingly  increased  capacity  for  rural  enjoyment. 

The  birds  link  themselves  to  your  memory  of  seasons  and 
places,  so  that  a  song,  a  call,  a  gleam  of  color,  set  going  a 
sequence  of  delightful  reminiscences  in  your  mind.  When  a  soli- 
tary great  Carolina  wren  came  one  August  day  and  took  up  its 
abode  near  me  and  sang  and  called  and  warbled  as  I  had  heard  it 
long  before  on  the  Potomac,  how  it  brought  the  old  days,  the 
old  scenes  back  again,  and  made  me  for  the  moment  younger  by 
all  those  years! 

A  few  seasons  ago  I  feared  the  tribe  of  bluebirds  were  on 
the  verge  of  extinction  from  the  enormous  number  of  them  that 
perished  from  cold  and  hunger  in  the  South  in  the  winter  of  '94. 
For  two  summers  not  a  blue  wing,  not  a  blue  warble.  I  seemed 
to  miss  something  kindred  and  precious  from  my  environment — 
the  visible  embodiment  of  the  tender  sky  and  the  wistful  soil. 
What  a  loss,  I  said,  to  the  coming  generations  of  dwellers  in  the 
country — no  bluebird  in  the  spring  1  What  will  the  farm-boy 
date  from  ?  But  the  fear  was  groundless:  the  birds  are  regaining 
their  lost  ground;  broods  of  young  blue-coats  are  again  seen 
drifting  from  stake  to  stake  or  from  mullen-stalk  to  mullen-stalk 
about  the  fields  in  summer,  and  our  April  air  will  doubtless  again 
be  warmed  and  thrilled  by  this  lovely  harbinger  of  spring. 

John  Burroughs. 

August  17,  '97. 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


FACING  PAGE 

Cardinal  Grosbeak — Frontispiece 

Red-winged  Blackbird  ..,.,.         46 

Red-headed  Woodpecker 

54 

Chimney  Swift 

68 

Mockingbird 

81 

White-breasted  Nuthatch 

.         84 

Shrike           .... 

86 

Indigo  Bird.     Male  and  Female 

100 

Belted  Kingfisher 

102 

Blue  Jay       ..... 

104 

Barn  Swallow 

106 

House  Wren          .... 

115 

Long-billed  Marsh-wren 

118 

Flicker          ..... 

130 

Meadowlark           .... 

132 

Whippoorwill        .... 

136 

Yellow-billed  Cuckoo   . 

141 

Cedarbird      ..... 

144 

Song  Sparrow        .... 

158 

Red-eyed  Vireo     .... 

176 

Warbling  Vireo    .... 

178 

American  Goldfinch 

190 

Yellow  Warbler  . 

204 

Blackburnian  Warbler 

209 

BIRD  FAMILIES 

THEIR  CHARACTERISTICS  AND  THE 
REPRESENTATIVES  OF  EACH  FAMILY 
INCLUDED    IN    "BIRD   NEIGHBORS" 


BIRD  FAMILIES 


THEIR  CHARACTERISTICS  AND  THE  REPRESENTATIVES  OF  EACH 
FAMILY  INCLUDED  IN  "BIRD  NEIGHBORS" 


Order  Coccyges:    CUCKOOS  AND  KINGFISHERS 

Family  Cuculidce:   CUCKOOS 

Long,  pigeon-shaped  birds,  whose  backs  are  grayish  brown 
with  a  bronze  lustre  and  whose  under  parts  are  whitish.  Bill  long 
and  curved.  Tail  long  ;  raised  and  drooped  slowly  while  the 
bird  is  perching.  Two  toes  point  forward  and  two  backward. 
Call-note  loud  and  like  a  tree-toad's  rattle.  Song  lacking.  Birds 
of  low  trees  and  undergrowth,  where  they  also  nest  ;  partial  to 
neighborhood  of  streams,  or  wherever  the  tent  caterpillar  is 
abundant.    Habits  rather  solitary,  silent,  and  eccentric.    Migratory. 

Yellow-billed  Cuckoo. 

Black-billed  Cuckoo. 

Family  Alcedinidce:  KINGFISHERS 

Large,  top-heavy  birds  of  streams  and  ponds.  Usually  seen 
perching  over  the  water  looking  for  fish.  Head  crested  ;  upper 
parts  slate-blue  ;  underneath  white,  and  belted  with  blue  or 
rusty.  Bill  large  and  heavy.  Middle  and  outer  toes  joined  for 
half  their  length.  Call-note  loud  and  prolonged,  like  a  policeman's 
rattle.  Solitary  birds  ;  little  inclined  to  rove  from  a  chosen  local- 
ity.   Migratory. 

Belted  Kingfisher. 


Order  Pici:  WOODPECKERS 

Family  Picidce:  WOODPECKERS 

Medium-sized  and  small  birds,  usually  with  plumage  black 
and  white,  and  always  with  some  red  feathers  about  the  head. 

3 


Bird  Families 

(The  flicker  is  brownish  and  yellow  instead  of  black  and  white.) 
Stocky,  high-shouldered  build  ;  bill  strong  and  long  for  drilling 
holes  in  bark  of  trees.  Tail  feathers  pointed  and  stiffened  to 
serve  as  a  prop.  Two  toes  before  and  two  behind  for  clinging. 
Usually  seen  clinging  erect  on  tree-trunks  ;  rarely,  if  ever,  head 
downward,  like  the  nuthatches,  titmice,  etc.  Woodpeckers  feed 
as  they  creep  around  the  trunks  and  branches.  Habits  rather 
phlegmatic.  The  flicker  has  better  developed  vocal  powers  than 
other  birds  of  this  class,  whose  rolling  tattoo,  beaten  with  their 
bills  against  the  tree-trunks,  must  answer  for  their  love-song. 
Nest  in  hollowed-out  trees. 

Red-headed  Woodpecker. 

Hairy  Woodpecker. 

Downy  Woodpecker. 

Yellow-bellied  Woodpecker, 

Flicker. 


Order  Macrochires:    GOATSUCKERS,   SWIFTS,  AND  HUM- 
MING-BIRDS 

Family  Caprimulgtd^ :   NIGHTHAWKS,    WHIPPOORWILLS, 

ETC. 

Medium-sized,  mottled  brownish,  gray,  black,  and  white 
birds  of  heavy  build.  Short,  thick  head  ;  gaping,  large  mouth  ; 
very  small  bill,  with  bristles  at  base.  Take  insect  food  on  the 
wing.  Feet  small  and  weak  ;  wings  long  and  powerful.  These 
birds  rest  lengthwise  on  their  perch  while  sleeping  through  the 
brightest  daylight  hours,  or  on  the  ground,  where  they  nest. 

Nighthawk. 

Whippoorwill. 

Family  Micropolidce :  SWIFTS 

Sooty,  dusky  birds  seen  on  the  wing,  never  resting  except 
in  chimneys  of  houses,  or  hollow  trees,  where  they  nest.  Tips 
of  tail  feathers  with  sharp  spines,  used  as  props.  They  show  their 
kinship  with  the  goatsuckers  in  their  nocturnal  as  well  as  diurnal 
habits,  their  small  bills  and  large  mouths  for  catching  insects  on 

4 


Bird  Families 

the  wing,  and  their  weak  feet.      Gregarious,  especially   at   the 

nesting  season. 

Chimney  Swift. 

Family  Trochilidce :  HUMMING-BIRDS 

Very  small  birds  with  green  plumage  (iridescent  red  or 
orange  breast  in  males);  long,  needle-shaped  bill  for  extracting 
insects  and  nectar  from  deep-cupped  flowers,  and  exceedingly 
rapid,  darting  flight.     Small  feet. 

Ruby-throated  Humming-bird. 


Order  Passeres  :  PERCHING  BIRDS 

Family  Tyrannidce :  FLYCATCHERS 

Small  and  medium-sized  dull,  dark-olive,  or  gray  birds,  with 
big  heads  that  are  sometimes  crested.  Bills  hooked  at  end,  and 
with  bristles  at  base.  Harsh  or  plaintive  voices.  Wings  longer 
than  tail  ;  both  wings  and  tails  usually  drooped  and  vibrating 
when  the  birds  are  perching.  Habits  moody  and  silent  when 
perching  on  a  conspicuous  limb,  telegraph  wire,  dead  tree,  or 
fence  rail  and  waiting  for  insects  to  fly  within  range.  Sudden, 
nervous,  spasmodic  sallies  in  midair  to  seize  insects  on  the  wing. 
Usually  they  return  to  their  identical  perch  or  lookout.  Pug- 
nacious and  fearless.     Excellent  nest  builders  and  devoted  mates. 

Kingbird. 

Phoebe. 

Wood  Pewee. 

Acadian  Flycatcher. 

Great  Crested  Flycatcher. 

Least  Flycatcher. 

Olive-sided  Flycatcher. 

Yellow-bellied  Flycatcher. 

Say's  Flycatcher. 

Family  Alaudidce :  LARKS 

The  only  true  larks  to  be  found  in  this  country  are  the  two 
species  given  below.  They  are  the  kin  of  the  European  skylark, 
of  which  several  unsuccessful  attempts  to  introduce  the  bird  have 

5 


Bird  Families 

been  made  in  this  country.  These  two  larks  must  not  be  con- 
fused with  the  meadow  larks  and  titlarks,  which  belong  to  the 
blackbird  and  pipit  families  respectively.  The  horned  larks  are 
birds  of  the  ground,  and  are  seen  in  the  United  States  only  in  the 
autumn  and  winter.  In  the  nesting  season  at  the  North  their 
voices  are  most  musical.  Plumage  grayish  and  brown,  in  color 
harmony  with  their  habitats.  Usually  found  in  flocks  ;  the  first 
species  on  or  near  the  shore. 

Horned  Lark. 

Prairie  Horned  Lark. 

Family  CorvidcB  :  CROWS  AND  JAYS 

The  crows  are  large  black  birds,  walkers,  with  stout  feet 
adapted  for  the  purpose.  Fond  of  shifting  their  residence  at  dif- 
ferent seasons  rather  than  strictly  migratory,  for,  except  at  the 
northern  limit  of  range,  they  remain  resident  all  the  year.  Gre- 
garious. Sexes  alike.  Omnivorous  feeders,  being  partly  car- 
nivorous, as  are  also  the  jays.  Both  crows  and  jays  inhabit 
wooded  country.  Their  voices  are  harsh  and  clamorous  ;  and 
their  habits  are  boisterous  and  bold,  particularly  the  jays.  De- 
voted mates  ;  unpleasant  neighbors. 

Common  Crow. 

Fish  Crow. 

Northern  Raven. 

Blue  jay. 

Canada  Jay. 

Family  Ideridce  :  BLACKBIRDS,  ORIOLES,  ETC. 

Plumage  black  or  a   brilliant  color  combined  with  black. 
(The  meadow  lark  a  sole  exception.)    Sexes  unlike.    These  birds 
form  a  connecting  link  between  the  crows  and  the  finches.     The 
blackbirds  have  strong  feet  for  use  upon  the  ground,  where  they 
generally  feed,  while  the  orioles  are  birds  of  the  trees.     They  are 
both  seed  and  insect  eaters.     The  bills  of  the  bobolink  and  cow- 
bird  are  short  and  conical,  for  they  are  conspicuous  seed  eaters. 
Bills  of  the  others  long  and  conical,  adapted  for  insectivorous 
diet.     About  half  the  family  are  gifted  songsters. 
Red-winged  Blackbird. 
Rusty  Blackbird. 
6 


Bird  Families 

Purple  Grackle. 
Bronzed  Grackle. 
Cowbird. 
Meadow  Lark. 
Western  Meadow  Lark. 
Bobolink. 
Orchard  Oriole. 
Baltimore  Oriole. 

Family  Fringillidce :    FINCHES,    SPARROWS,    GROSBEAKS, 
BUNTINGS,  LINNETS,  AND  CROSSBILLS 

Generally  fine  songsters.  Bills  conical,  short,  and  stout  for 
cracking  seeds.  Length  from  five  to  nine  inches,  usually  under 
eight  inches.  This,  the  largest  family  of  birds  that  we  have 
(about  one-seventh  of  all  our  birds  belong  to  it),  comprises  birds 
of  such  varied  plumage  and  habit  that,  while  certain  family  re- 
semblances may  be  traced  throughout,  it  is  almost  impossible  to 
characterize  the  family  as  such.  The  sparrows  are  comparatively 
small  gray  and  brown  birds  with  striped  upper  parts,  lighter 
underneath.  Birds  of  the  ground,  or  not  f;ir  from  it,  elevated 
perches  being  chosen  for  rest  and  song.  Nest  in  low  bushes  or 
on  the  ground.  (Chipping  sparrow  often  selects  tall  trees.) 
Coloring  adapted  to  grassy,  dusty  habitats.  Males  and  females 
similar.  Flight  labored.  About  forty  species  of  sparrows  are 
found  in  the  United  States  ;  of  these,  fourteen  may  be  met  with 
by  a  novice,  and  six,  at  least,  surely  will  be. 

The  Jinches  and  their  larger  kin  are  chiefly  bright-plumaged 
birds,  the  females  either  duller  or  distinct  from  males  ;  bills 
heavy,  dull,  and  conical,  befitting  seed  eaters.  Not  so  migratory 
as  insectivorous  birds  nor  so  restless.  Mostly  phlegmatic  in 
temperament.     Fine  songsters. 

Chipping  Sparrow. 

English  Sparrow. 

Field  Sparrow. 

Fox  Sparrow. 

Grasshopper  Sparrow. 

Savanna  Sparrow. 

Seaside  Sparrow. 

Sharp-tailed  Sparrow. 
7 


Bird  Families 

Song  Sparrow. 

Swamp  Song  Sparrow. 

Tree  Sparrow. 

Vesper  Sparrow. 

White-crowned  Sparrow. 

White-throated  Sparrow. 

Lapland  Longspur. 

Smith's  Painted  Longspur. 

Pine  Siskin  (or  Finch). 

Purple  Finch. 

Goldfinch. 

Redpoll. 

Greater  Redpoll. 

Red  Crossbill. 

White-winged  Red  CrossbilL 

Cardinal  Grosbeak. 

Rose-breasted  Grosbeak. 

Pine  Grosbeak. 

Evening  Grosbeak. 

Blue  Grosbeak. 

Indigo  Bunting. 

Junco. 

Snowflake. 

Chewink. 

Family  Tanagridce :  TANAGERS 

Distinctly  an  American  family,  remarkable  for  their  brilliant 
plumage,  which,  however,  undergoes  great  changes  twice  a  year. 
Females  different  from  males,  being  dull  and  inconspicuous. 
Birds  of  the  tropics,  two  species  only  finding  their  way  north, 
and  the  summer  tanager  rarely  found  north  of  Pennsylvania. 
Shy  inhabitants  of  woods.  Though  they  may  nest  low  in  trees, 
they  choose  high  perches  when  singing  or  feeding  upon  flowers, 
fruits,  and  insects.  As  a  family,  the  tanagers  have  weak,  squeaky 
voices,  but  both  our  species  are  good  songsters.  Suffering  the 
fate  of  most  bright-plumaged  birds,  immense  numbers  have  been 
shot  annually. 

Scarlet  Tanager. 

Summer  Tanager. 


Bird  Families 

Family  Hirundinidce :  SWALLOWS 

Birds  of  the  air,  that  take  their  insect  food  on  the  wing. 
Migratory.  Flight  strong,  skimming,  darting  ;  exceedingly 
graceful.  When  not  flying  they  choose  slender,  conspicuous 
perches  like  telegraph  wires,  gutters,  and  eaves  of  barns.  Plu- 
mage of  some  species  dull,  of  others  iridescent  blues  and  greens 
above,  whitish  or  ruddy  below.  Sexes  similar.  Bills  small  ; 
mouths  large.  Long  and  pointed  wings,  generally  reaching  the 
tip  of  the  tail  or  beyond.  Tail  more  or  less  forked.  Feet  small 
and  weak  from  disuse.  Song  a  twittering  warble  without  power. 
Gregarious  birds. 

Barn  Swallow. 

Bank  Swallow. 

Cliff  (or  Eaves)  Swallow. 

Tree  Swallow. 

Bough-winged  Swallow. 

Purple  Martin. 

Family  Ampelidx  :  WAX  WINGS 

Medium-sized  Quaker-like  birds,  with  plumage  of  soft 
browns  and  grays.  Head  crested  ;  black  band  across  forehead 
and  through  the  eye.  Bodies  plump  from  indolence.  Tail  tipped 
with  yellow  ;  wings  with  red  tips  to  coverts,  resembling  sealing- 
wax.  Sexes  similar.  Silent,  gentle,  courteous,  elegant  birds. 
Usually  seen  in  large  flocks  feeding  upon  berries  in  the  trees  or 
perching  on  the  branches,  except  at  the  nesting  season.  Voices 
resemble  a  soft,  lisping  twitter. 

Cedar  Bird. 

Bohemian  Waxwing. 

Family  Laniidce :  SHRIKES 

Medium-sized  grayish,  black-and-white  birds,  with  hooked 
and  hawk-like  bill  for  tearing  the  flesh  of  smaller  birds,  field- 
mice,  and  large  insects  that  they  impale  on  thorns.  Handsome, 
bold  birds,  the  terror  of  all  small,  feathered  neighbors,  not  ex- 
cluding the  English  sparrow.  They  choose  conspicuous  perches 
when  on  the  lookout  for  prey  :  a  projecting  or  dead  limb  of  a 

9 


Bird  Families 

tree,  the  cupola  of  a  house,  the  ridge-pole  or  weather-vane  of  a 
barn,  or  a  telegraph  wire,  from  which  to  suddenly  drop  upon  a 
victim.  Eyesight  remarkable.  Call-notes  harsh  and  unmusical. 
Habits  solitary  and  wandering.  The  first-named  species  is  resi- 
dent during  the  colder  months  of  the  year;  the  latter  is  a  summer 
resident  only  north  of  Maryland. 

Northern  Shrike. 

Loggerhead  Shrike. 

Family  VireonidcB :  VIREOS  OR  GREENLETS 

Small  greenish-gray  or  olive  birds,  whitish  or  yellowish 
underneath,  their  plumage  resembling  the  foliage  of  the  trees 
they  hunt,  nest,  and  live  among.  Sexes  alike.  More  deliberate 
in  habit  than  the  restless,  flitting  warblers  that  are  chiefly  seen 
darting  about  the  ends  of  twigs.  Vireos  are  more  painstaking 
gleaners  ;  they  carefully  explore  the  bark,  turn  their  heads  up- 
ward to  investigate  the  under  side  of  leaves,  and  usually  keep 
well  hidden  among  the  foliage.  Bill  hooked  at  tip  for  holding 
worms  and  insects.  Gifted  songsters,  superior  to  the  warblers. 
This  family  is  peculiar  to  America. 

Red-eyed  Vireo. 

Solitary  Vireo. 

Warbling  Vireo. 

White-eyed  Vireo. 

Yellow-throated  Vireo. 

Family  OAniotiltidce :  WOOD  WARBLERS 

A  large  group  of  birds,  for  the  most  part  smaller  than  the 
English  sparrow  ;  all,  except  the  ground  warblers,  of  beautiful 
plumage,  in  which  yellow,  olive,  slate-blue,  black,  and  white  are 
predominant  colors.  Females  generally  duller  than  males.  Ex- 
ceedingly active,  graceful,  restless  feeders  among  the  terminal 
twigs  of  trees  and  shrubbery  ;  haunters  of  tree-tops  in  the  woods 
at  nesting  time.  Abundant  birds,  especially  during  May  and 
September,  when  the  majority  are  migrating  to  and  from  regions 
north  of  the  United  States;  but  they  are  strangely  unknown  to  all 
but  devoted  bird  lovers,  who  seek  them  out  during  these  months 
that  particularly  favor  acquaintance.     Several  species  are  erratic  in 

10 


Bird  Families 

their  migrations  and  choose  a  different  course  to  return  southward 
from  the  one  they  travelled  over  in  spring.  A  few  species  are  sum- 
mer residents,  and  one,  at  least,  of  this  tropical  fomily,  the  myrtle 
warbler,  winters  at  the  north.  The  habits  of  the  family  are  not 
identical  in  every  representative  ;  some  are  more  deliberate  and 
less  nervous  than  others  ;  a  few,  like  the  Canadian  and  Wilson's 
warblers,  are  expert  flycatchers,  taking  their  food  on  the  wing, 
but  not  usually  returning  to  the  same  perch,  like  true  flycatchers; 
and  a  few  of  the  warblers,  as,  for  example,  the  black-and-white, 
the  pine,  and  the  worm-eating  species,  have  the  nuthatches'  habit 
of  creeping  around  the  bark  of  trees.  Qyite  a  number  feed  upon 
the  ground.  All  are  insectivorous,  though  many  vary  their  diet 
with  blossom,  fruit,  or  berries,  and  naturally  their  bills  are  slen- 
der and  sharply  pointed,  rarely  fmch-like.  The  yellow-breasted 
chat  has  the  greatest  variety  of  vocal  expressions.  The  ground 
warblers  are  compensated  for  their  sober,  thrush-like  plumage  by 
their  exquisite  voices,  while  the  great  majority  of  the  family  that 
are  gaily  dressed  have  notes  that  either  resemble  the  trill  of  mid- 
summer insects  or,  by  their  limited  range  and  feeble  utterance, 
sadly  belie  the  family  name. 

Bay-breasted  Warbler. 

Blackburnian  Warbler. 

Blackpoll  Warbler. 

Black-throated  Blue  Warbler. 

Black-throated  Green  Warbler. 

Black-and-white  Creeping  Warbler. 

Blue-winged  Warbler. 

Canadian  Warbler. 

Chestnut-sided  Warbler. 

Golden-winged  Warbler. 

Hooded  Warbler. 

Kentucky  Warbler. 

Magnolia  Warbler. 

Mourning  Warbler. 

Myrtle  Warbler. 

Nashville  Warbler. 

Palm  Warbler. 

Parula  Warbler. 

Pine  Warbler. 

Prairie  Warbler. 

SI 


Bird  Families 

Redstart. 

Wilson's  Warbler. 
Worm-eating  Warbler. 
Yellow   Warbler. 
Yellow  Palm  Warbler. 
Ovenbird. 

Northern  Water  Thrush. 
Louisiana  Water  Thrush. 
Maryland  Yellowthroat. 
Yellow-breasted  Chat. 

Family  Motacillidce:   WAGTAILS  AND   PIPITS 

Only  three  birds  of  this  family  inhabit  North  America,  and 
of  these  only  one  is  common  enough,  east  of  the  Mississippi,  to 
be  included  in  this  book.  Terrestrial  birds  of  open  tracts  near 
the  coast,  stubble-fields,  and  country  roadsides,  with  brownish 
plumage  to  harmonize  with  their  surroundings.  The  American 
pipit,  or  titlark,  has  a  peculiar  wavering  flight  when,  after  being 
flushed,  it  reluctantly  leaves  the  ground.  Then  its  white  tail 
feathers  are  conspicuous.  Its  habit  of  wagging  its  tail  when 
perching  is  not  an  exclusive  family  trait,   as  the  family  name 

might  imply. 

American  Pipit,  or  Titlark. 

Family  Troglodytidce :  THRASHERS,  WRENS,  ETC. 

Subfamily  Mimince:    THRASHERS,    MOCKING-BIRDS,    AND 

CATBIRDS 

Apparently  the  birds  that  comprise  this  large  general  family 
are  too  unlike  to  be  related,  but  the  missing  links  or  inter- 
mediate species  may  all  be  found  far  South.  The  first  subfamily 
is  comprised  of  distinctively  American  birds.  Most  numerous 
in  the  tropics.  Their  long  tails  serve  a  double  purpose — in  assist- 
ing their  flight  and  acting  as  an  outlet  for  their  vivacity.  Usually 
they  inhabit  scrubby  undergrowth  bordering  woods.  They  rank 
among  our  finest  songsters,  with  ventriloquial  and  imitative 
powers  added  to  sweetness  of  tone. 

Brown  Thrasher. 

Catbird. 

Mocking-bird. 


Bird  Families 

Subfamily  Troglodytince :  WRENS 

Small  brown  birds,  more  or  less  barred  with  darkest  brown 
above,  much  lighter  below.  Usually  carry  their  short  tails  erect. 
Wings  are  small,  for  short  flight.  Vivacious,  busy,  excitable, 
easily  displeased,  quick  to  take  alarm.  Most  of  the  species  have 
scolding  notes  in  addition  to  their  lyrical,  gushing  song,  that 
seems  much  too  powerful  a  performance  for  a  diminutive  bird. 
As  a  rule,  wrens  haunt  thickets  or  marshes,  but  at  least  one 
species  is  thoroughly  domesticated.     All  are  insectivorous. 

Carolina  Wren. 

House  Wren. 

Winter  Wren, 

Long-billed  Marsh  Wren. 

Short-billed  Marsh  Wren. 

Family  Certhiidce:  CREEPERS 

Only  one  species  of  this  Old  World  family  is  found  in  Amer- 
ica, it  is  a  brown,  much  mottled  bird,  that  creeps  spirally  around 
and  around  the  trunks  of  trees  in  fall  and  winter,  pecking  at  the 
larvae  in  the  bark  with  its  long,  sharp  bill,  and  doing  its  work 
with  faithful  exactness  but  little  spirit.  It  uses  its  tail  as  a  prop 
in  climbing,  like  the  woodpeckers. 

Brown  Creeper. 

Family  Paridce :  NUTHATCHES  AND   TITMICE 

Two  distinct  subfamilies  are  included  under  this  general  head. 

The  nuthatches  (Sittinc^)  are  small,  slate-colored  birds,  seen 
chiefly  in  winter  walking  up  and  down  the  barks  of  trees,  and 
sometimes  running  along  the  under  side  of  branches  upside  down, 
like  flies.  Plumage  compact  and  smooth.  Their  name  is  derived 
from  their  habit  of  wedging  nuts  (usually  beechnuts)  in  the  bark 
of  trees,  and  then  hatching  them  open  with  their  strong  straight 
bills. 

White-breasted  Nuthatch. 
Red-breasted  Nuthatch. 

The  titmice  or  chickadees  (Parince)  are  fluffy  little  gray  birds, 
the   one   crested,  the  other  with  a  black  cap.     They  are  also 

13 


Bird  Families 

expert  climbers,  though  not  such  wonderful  gymnasts  as  the  nut- 
hatches. These  cousins  are  frequently  seen  together  in  winter 
woods  or  in  the  evergreens  about  houses.  Chickadees  are  partial 
to  tree-tops,  especially  to  the  highest  pine  cones,  on  which  they 
hang  fearlessly.  Cheerful,  constant  residents,  retreating  to  the 
deep  woods  only  to  nest. 

Tufted  Titmouse. 

Chickadee. 

Family  Sylviidct :  KINGLETS  AND  GNATCATCHERS 

The  kinglets  (Regulince)  are  very  small  greenish-gray  birds, 

with  highly  colored  crown  patch,  that  are  seen  chiefly  in  autumn, 

winter,  and  spring  south  of  Labrador.     Habits  active ;  diligent 

flitters  among  trees  and  shrubbery  from  limb  to  limb  after  minute 

insects.     Beautiful  nest  builders.     Song  remarkable  for  so  small 

a  bird. 

Golden-crowned  Kinglet. 

Ruby-crowned  Kinglet. 

The  one  representative  of  the  distinctly  American  subfamily 
of  gnatcatchers  (Polioptilince)  that  we  have,  is  a  small  blue-gray 
bird,  whitish  below.  It  is  rarely  found  outside  moist,  low  tracts 
of  woodland,  where  insects  abound.  These  it  takes  on  the  wing 
with  wonderful  dexterity.  It  is  exceedingly  graceful  and  assumes 
many  charming  postures.  A  bird  of  trees,  nesting  in  the  high 
branches.  A  bird  of  strong  character  and  an  exquisitely  finished 
though  feeble  songster. 

Blue-gray  Gnatcatcher. 

Family  Turdidce :  THRUSHES,  BLUEBIRDS,  ETC. 

This  group  includes  our  finest  songsters.  Birds  of  moderate 
size,  stout  build  ;  as  a  rule,  inhabitants  of  woodlands,  but  the 
robin  and  the  bluebird  are  notable  exceptions.  Bills  long  and 
slender,  suitable  for  worm  diet.  Only  casual  fruit-eaters.  Slen- 
der, strong  legs  for  running  and  hopping.  True  thrushes  are 
grayish  or  olive-brown  above;  buff  or  whitish  below,  heavily 

streaked  or  spotted. 

Bluebird. 
Robin. 

14 


Bird  Families 


Alice's  Thrush. 
Hermit  Thrush, 
Olive-backed  Thrusn. 
Wilson's  Thrush  (Veery). 
Wood  Thrush. 


Order  Columhce :  PIGEONS  AND  DOVES 

Family  Columhidce :  PIGEONS  AND  DOVES 

The  wild  pigeon  is  now  too  rare  to  be  included  among  our 
bird  neighbors  ;  but  its  beautiful  relative,  without  the  fatally  gre- 
garious habit,  still  nests  and  sings  a-coo-oo-oo  to  its  devoted  mate 
in  unfrequented  corners  of  the  farm  or  the  borders  of  woodland. 
Delicately  shaded  fawn-colored  and  bluish  plumage.  Small  heads, 
protruding  breasts.  Often  seen  on  ground.  Flight  strong  and 
rapid,  owing  to  long  wings. 

Mourning  or  Carolina  Dove. 


«S 


(I 

HABITATS  OF  BIRDS 


HABITATS    OF    BIRDS 

BIRDS  OF  THE  AIR  CATCHING  THEIR  FOOD  AS  THEY  FLY 

Acadian  Flycatcher,  Great  Crested  Flycatcher,  Least  Fly- 
catcher, Olive-sided  Flycatcher,  Say's  Flycatcher,  Yellow-bellied 
Flycatcher,  Kingbird,  Phoebe,  Wood  Pewee,  Purple  Martin, 
Chimney  Swift,  Barn  Swallow,  Bank  Swallow,  Cliff  Swallow, 
Tree  Swallow,  Rough-winged  Swallow,  Canadian  Warbler, 
Blackpoll,  Wilson's  Warbler,  Nighthawk,  Whippoorwill,  Ruby- 
throated  Humming-bird,  Blue-gray  Gnatcatcher. 

BIRDS  MOST  FREQUENTLY  SEEN  IN  THE  UPPER  HALF 

OF  TREES 

Scarlet  Tanager,  Summer  Tanager,  Baltimore  Oriole,  Orchard 
Oriole,  Chickadee,  Tufted  Titmouse,  Blue-gray  Gnatcatcher,  nearly 
all  the  Warblers  except  the  Ground  Warblers;  Cedar  Bird,  Bohe- 
mian Waxwing,  the  Vireos,  Robin,  Red  Crossbill,  White-winged 
Crossbill,  Purple  Crackle,  Bronzed  Crackle,  Redstart,  Northern 
Shrike,  Loggerhead  Shrike,  Crow,  Fish  Crow,  Raven,  Purple 
Finch,  Tree  and  Chipping  Sparrows,  Cardinal,  Blue  Jay,  Kingbird, 
the  Crested  and  other  Flycatchers. 

BIRDS  OF  LOW  TREES  OR  LOWER  PARTS  OF  TREES 

Black-billed  Cuckoo,  Yellow-billed  Cuckoo,  the  Sparrows, 
the  Thrushes,  the  Grosbeaks,  Goldfinch,  Summer  Yellowbird  and 
other  Warblers;  the  Wrens,  Bluebird,  Mocking-bird,  Catbird, 
Brown  Thrasher,  Maryland  Yellowthroat,  Yellow-breasted  Chat. 

BIRDS  OF  TREE-TRUNKS  AND  LARGE  LIMBS 

Hairy  Woodpecker,  Downy  Woodpecker,  Red-headed 
Woodpecker,    Yellow-bellied     Woodpecker,     Flicker,     White- 

19 


Habitats  of  Birds 

breasted  Nuthatch,  Red-breasted  Nuthatch,  Brown  Creeper, 
Chickadee,  Tufted  Titmouse,  Golden-crowned  Kinglet,  Ruby- 
crowned  Kinglet,  Black-and-white  Creeping  Warbler,  Blue- 
winged  Warbler,  Worm-eating  Warbler,  Pine  Warbler,  BlackpoU 
Warbler,  Whippoorwill,  Nighthawk. 

BIRDS   THAT   SHOW   A   PREFERENCE    FOR   PINES   AND 
OTHER    EVERGREENS 

Chickadee,  Tufted  Titmouse,  the  Nuthatches,  Brown 
Creeper,  the  Kinglets,  Pine  Warbler,  Black-and-white  Creeping 
Warbler  and  all  the  Warblers  except  the  Ground  Warblers;  Pine 
Siskin,  Cedar  Bird  and  Bohemian  Waxwing  (in  juniper  and 
cedar  trees).  Pine  Grosbeak,  Red  Crossbill,  White-winged  Cross- 
bill, the  Crackles,  Crow,  Raven,  Pine  Finch. 

BIRDS  SEEN  FEEDING  AMONG  THE  FOLIAGE  AND  TER- 
MINAL TWIGS  OF  TREES 

The  Red-eyed  Vireo,  White-eyed  Vireo,  Warbling  Vireo, 
Solitary  Vireo,  Yellow-throated  Vireo,  Golden-crowned  King- 
let, Ruby-crowned  Kinglet,  Black-billed  Cuckoo,  Yellow-billed 
Cuckoo,  Yellow  Warbler  or  Summer  Yellowbird,  nearly  all  the 
Warblers  except  the  Pine  and  the  Ground  Warblers;  the  Fly- 
catchers, Blue-gray  Gnatcatcher. 

BIRDS   THAT   CHOOSE    CONSPICUOUS   PERCHES 

Northern  Shrike,  Loggerhead  Shrike,  Kingbird,  the  Wood 
Pewee,  the  Phoebe  and  other  Flycatchers,  the  Swallows,  King- 
fisher, Crows,  Crackles,  Blue  Jay  and  Canada  Jay;  the  Song,  the 
White-throated,  and  the  Fox  Sparrows  ;  the  Grosbeaks,  Cedar 
Bird,  Goldfinch,  Robin,  Purple  Finch,  Cowbird,  Brown  Thrasher 
while  in  song. 

BIRDS   OF  THE   GARDENS  AND  ORCHARDS 

Bluebird,  Robin ;  the  English,  Song,  White-throated,  Vesper, 
White-crowned,  Fox,  Chipping,  and  Tree  Sparrows;  Phoebe, 
Wood  Pewee,  the  Least  Flycatcher,  Crested  Flycatcher,  Kingbird, 
Brown  Thrasher,  Wood  Thrush,  Mocking-bird,  Catbird,  House 

20 


Habitats  of  Birds 

Wren ;  nearly  all  the  Warblers,  especially  at  blossom  time  among 
the  shrubbery  and  fruit  trees;  Cedar  Bird,  Purple  Martin,  Eaves 
Swallow,  Barn  Swallow,  Purple  Finch,  Cowbird,  Baltimore  and 
Orchard  Orioles,  Purple  Crackle,  Bronzed  Crackle,  Blue  Jay, 
Crow,  Fish  Crow,  Chimney  Swift,  Ruby-throated  Humming- 
bird, the  Woodpeckers,  Flicker,  the  Nuthatches,  Chickadee,  Tufted 
Titmouse,  the  Cuckoos,  Mourning  Dove,  Junco. 

BIRDS  OF  THE   WOODS 

The  Warblers  almost  without  exception;  the  Thrushes,  the 
Woodpeckers,  the  Flycatchers,  the  Winter  and  the  Carolina 
Wrens,  the  Tanagers,  the  Nuthatches  and  Titmice,  the  Kinglets, 
the  Water  Thrushes,  the  Vireos,  Whippoorwill,  Nighthawk, 
Kingfisher,  Cardinal,  Ovenbird,  Brown  Creeper,  Tree  Sparrow, 
Fox  Sparrow,  White-throated  Sparrow,  White-crowned  Sparrow, 
Junco. 

BIRDS  SEEN  NEAR  THE   EDGES  OF  WOODS 

The  Wrens,  the  Woodpeckers,  the  Flycatchers,  the  Warblers, 
Purple  Finch,  the  Cuckoos,  Brown  Thrasher,  Wood  Thrush,  Cow- 
bird,  Brown  Creepers,  the  Nuthatches  and  Titmice,  the  Kinglets, 
Chewink;  the  White-crowned,  White-throated,  Tree,  Fox,  and 
Song  Sparrows  ;  Humming-bird,  Bluebird,  Junco,  the  Crossbills, 
the  Grosbeaks,  Nighthawk,  Whippoorwill,  Mourning  Dove, 
Indigo  Bird,  Brown  Thrasher. 

BIRDS  OF  SHRUBBERY,    BUSHES,   AND  THICKETS 

Maryland  Yellowthroat,  Ovenbird  (in  woods) ;  Myrtle 
Warbler,  Mourning  Warbler,  Yellow-breasted  Chat,  and  other 
Warblers  during  the  migrations;  the  Shrikes;  the  White-throated, 
the  Fox,  the  Song,  and  other  Sparrows;  Chickadee,  Junco,  Che- 
wink, Rose-breasted  Grosbeak,  Cowbird,  Red-winged  Black- 
bird, Catbird,  Mocking-bird,  Wilson's  Thrush,  Goldfinch,  Red- 
polls, Maryland  Yellowthroat,  White-eyed  Vireo,  Hooded 
Warbler. 

BIRDS  SEEN   FEEDING   ON  THE   GROUND 

The  Sparrows,  Junco,  Meadowlark,  Horned  Lark,  Chewink, 
Robin,   Ovenbird,   Pipit  or  Titlark,    Redpoll,  Greater  Redpoll, 


Habitats  of  Birds 

Snowflake,  Lapland  Longspur,  Smith's  Painted  Longspur,  Rusty 
Blackbird,  Red-winged  Blackbird,  the  Crows,  Cowbird,  the  Water 
Thrushes,  Bobolink,  Canada  Jay,  the  Crackles,  Mourning  Dove; 
the  Worm-eating,  the  Prairie,  the  Kentucky,  and  the  Mourning 
Ground  Warblers;  Flicker. 

BIRDS  OF  MEADOW,  FIELD,  AND  UPLAND 

The  Field  and  Vesper  Sparrows,  Bobolink,  Meadowlark, 
Horned  Lark,  Goldfinch,  the  Swallows,  Pipit  or  Titlark,  Cow- 
bird,  Redpoll,  Greater  Redpoll,  Snowflake,  Junco,  Lapland  Long- 
spur, Smith's  Painted  Longspur,  Rusty  Blackbird,  Crow,  Fish 
Crow,  Nighthawk,  Whippoorwill;  the  Yellow,  the  Palm,  and  the 
Prairie  Warblers;  the  Crackles,  Flicker,  Bluebird,  Indigo  Bird. 

BIRDS    OF    ROADSIDE    AND    FENCES 

The  Sparrows,  Kingbird,  Crested  Flycatcher,  Yellow-breasted 
Chat,  Indigo  Bird,  Bluebird,  Flicker,  Goldfinch,  Brown  Thrasher, 
Catbird,  Robin,  the  Woodpeckers,  Yellow  Palm  Warbler,  the 
Vireos. 

BIRDS   OF   MARSHES   AND   BOGGY   MEADOWS 

Long-billed  Marsh  Wren,  Short-billed  Marsh  Wren;  the 
Swamp,  the  Savanna,  the  Sharp-tailed,  and  the  Seaside  Sparrows; 
Red-winged  Blackbird. 

BIRDS  OF  WET  WOODLANDS  AND  MARSHY  THICKETS 

Northern  Water  Thrush,  Louisiana  Water  Thrush,  Oven- 
bird,  Winter  Wren,  Carolina  Wren,  Phoebe;  Wood  Pewee  and 
the  other  Flycatchers ;  Wilson's  Thrush  or  Veery,  Blue-gray 
Gnatcatcher,  Yellow-breasted  Chat  ;  the  Canadian,  Wilson's 
Black-capped,  the  Maryland  Yellowthroat,  the  Hooded,  and  the 
Yellow-throated  Warblers. 

BIRDS    FOUND    NEAR    SALT    WATER 

Fish  Crow,  Common  Crow,  Bank  Swallow,  Tree  Swallow, 
Savanna  Sparrow,  Sharp-tailed  Sparrow,  Seaside  Sparrow, 
Horned  Lark,  Pipit  or  Titlark. 

22 


Habitats  of  Birds 

BIRDS    FOUND    NEAR    STREAMS    AND    PONDS 

Kingfisher,  the  Swallows,  Northern  Water  Thrush,  Louisiana 
Water  Thrush,  Phoebe,  Wood  Pewee,  the  Flycatchers,  Winter 
Wren,  Wilson's  Black-capped  Warbler,  the  Canadian  and  the 
Yellow  Warblers. 

BIRDS    THAT    SING    ON    THE    WING 

Bobolink,  Meadowlark,  Indigo  Bird,  Purple  Finch,  Gold- 
finch, Ovenbird,  Kingbird,  Vesper  Sparrow  (rarely),  Maryland 
Yellowthroat,  Horned  Lark,  Kingfisher,  the  Swallows,  Chimney 
Swift,  Nighthawk,  Song  Sparrow,  Red-winged  Blackbird,  Pipit 
or  Titlark,  Mocking-bird. 


as 


Ill 

SEASONS  OF  BIRDS 

THE  LATITUDE  OF  NEW  YORK  IS  TAKEN  AS 
AN  ARBITRARY  DIVISION  FOR  WHICH  ALLOW- 
ANCES MUST  BE  MADE  FOR  OTHER  LOCALITIES 


THE  SEASONS  OF  BIRDS  IN  THE  VICINITY  OF 
NEW  YORK  OR,  APPROXIMATELY,  OF  THE 
FORTY-SECOND   DEGREE  OF  LATITUDE 


PERMANENT  RESIDENTS 


Hairy  Woodpecker. 

Downy  Woodpecker. 

Yellow-bellied  Woodpecker. 

Red-headed  Woodpecker. 

Flicker. 

Meadowlark. 

Prairie  Horned  Lark. 

Blue  Jay. 

Crow. 

Fish  Crow. 

English  Sparrow. 

Social  Sparrow. 


Swamp  Sparrow. 

Song  Sparrow. 

Cedar  Bird. 

Cardinal. 

Carolina  Wren. 

White-breasted  Nuthatch. 

Tufted  Titmouse. 

Chickadee. 

Robin. 

Bluebird. 

Goldfinch. 


WINTER     RESIDENTS    AND     VISITORS 


BIRDS   SEEN   BETWEEN   NOVEMBER   AND   APRIL 


English  Sparrow. 
Tree  Sparrow. 
White-throated  Sparrow. 
Swamp  Sparrow. 
Vesper  Sparrow. 
White-crowned  Sparrow. 
Fox  Sparrow. 
Song  Sparrow. 
Snowflake. 
Junco. 

Horned  Lark. 
Meadowlark. 


Pine  Grosbeak. 

Redpoll. 

Greater  Redpoll. 

Cedar  Bird. 

Bohemian  Waxwing. 

Hairy  Woodpecker. 

Downy  Woodpecker. 

Yellow-bellied  Woodpecker. 

Flicker. 

Myrtle  Warbler. 

Northern  Shrike. 

White-breasted  Nuthatch. 


27 


Seasons  of  Birds 


Red-breasted  Nuthatch. 

Tufted  Titmouse. 

Chickadee. 

Robin. 

Bluebird. 

Ruby-crowned  Kinglet. 

Golden-crowned  Kinglet 

Brown  Creeper. 

Carolina  Wren. 

Winter  Wren. 

Pipit. 

Purple  Finch. 


Goldfinch. 

Pine  Siskin. 

Lapland  Longspun 

Smith's  Painted  Longspur. 

Evening  Grosbeak. 

Cardinal. 

Blue  Jay. 

Red  Crossbill. 

White-winged  Crossbill. 

Crow. 

Fish  Crow. 

Kingfisher. 


SUMMER   RESIDENTS 


BIRDS  SEEN  BETWEEN   APRIL  AND   NOVEMBER 


Mourning  Dove. 

Black-billed  Cuckoo. 

Yellow-billed  Cuckoo. 

Kingfisher. 

Red-headed  Woodpecker. 

Hairy  Woodpecker. 

Downy  Woodpecker. 

Yellow-bellied  Woodpecker. 

Flicker. 

Whippoorwill. 

Nighthawk. 

Chimney  Swift. 

Ruby-throated  Humming-bird. 

Kingbird. 

Wood  Pewee. 

Phoebe. 

Acadian  Flycatcher. 

Crested  Flycatcher. 

Least  Flycatcher. 

Olive-sided  Flycatcher. 

Yellow-bellied  Flycatcher. 

Say's  Flycatcher. 

Bobolink. 

Cowbird. 


Red-winged  Blackbird. 
Rusty  Blackbird. 
Orchard  Oriole. 
Baltimore  Oriole. 
Purple  Grackle. 
Bronzed  Grackle. 
Crow. 
Fish  Crow. 
Raven. 
Blue  Jay. 
Canada  Jay. 
Chipping  Sparrow. 
English  Sparrow. 
Field  Sparrow. 
Fox  Sparrow. 
Grasshopper  Sparrow. 
Savanna  Sparrow. 
Seaside  Sparrow. 
Sharp-tailed  Sparrow. 
Swamp  Song  Sparrow. 
Song  Sparrow. 
Vesper  Sparrow. 
Rose-breasted  Grosbeak. 
Blue  Grosbeak. 


28 


Seasons  of  Birds 


Indigo  Bird. 

Scarlet  Tanager. 

Purple  Martin. 

Barn  Swallow. 

Bank  Swallow. 

Cliff  Swallow. 

Tree  Swallow. 

Rough-winged  Swallow. 

Red-eyed  Vireo. 

White-eyed  Vireo. 

Solitary  Vireo. 

Warbling  Vireo. 

Yellow-throated  Vireo. 

Black-and-white  Warbler. 

Black-throated  Green  Warbler. 

Blue-winged  Warbler. 

Chestnut-sided  Warbler. 

Golden-winged  Warbler. 

Hooded  Warbler. 

Pine  Warbler. 

Prairie  Warbler. 

Parula  Warbler. 

Worm-eating  Warbler. 

Yellow  Warbler. 

Redstart. 

Ovenbird. 

Northern  Water  Thrush. 

Louisiana  Water  Thrush. 


Yellow-breasted  Chat. 

Maryland  Yellowthroat 

Mocking-bird. 

Catbird. 

Brown  Thrasher. 

House  Wren. 

Carolina  Wren. 

Long-billed  Marsh  Wren. 

Short-billed  Marsh  Wren. 

Alice's  Thrush. 

Hermit  Thrush. 

Olive-backed  Thrush. 

Wilson's  Thrush  or  Veery. 

Wood  Thrush. 

Meadowlark. 

Western  Meadowlark. 

Prairie  Horned  Lark. 

White-breasted  Nuthatch. 

Chickadee. 

Tufted  Titmouse. 

Chewink. 

Purple  Finch. 

Goldfinch. 

CardinaL 

Robin. 

Bluebird. 

Cedar  Bird. 

Loggerhead  Shrike. 


SPRING    AND    AUTUMN    MIGRANTS    ONLY,    OR    RARE 
SUMMER    VISITORS 

The  following  Warblers 
Bay-breasted. 
Blackburnian. 
Black-polled. 
Black-throated  Blue. 
Canadian. 
Magnolia. 
Mourning. 
Myrtle. 


Nashville. 

Wilson's  Black-capped. 

Palm. 

Yellow  Palm. 

Blue-gray  Gnatcatcher. 
Summer  Tanager. 


29 


Seasons  of  Birds 


MIGRATIONS   OF    BIRDS   IN   VICINITY  OF  NEW  YORK 

FEBRUARY    1 5    TO   MARCH    1 5 

Bluebird,  Robin,  the  Crackles,  Song  Sparrow,  Fox  Sparrow, 
Red-winged  Blackbird,  Kingfisher,  Flicker,  Purple  Finch. 


MARCH    15    TO   APRIL    I 

Increased  numbers  of  foregoing  group;  Cowbird,  Meadow- 
lark,  Phoebe  ;  the  Field,  the  Vesper,  and  the  Swamp  Sparrows. 


APRIL  I  TO  15 

The  White-throated  and  the  Chipping  Sparrows,  the  Tree 
and  the  Barn  Swallows,  Rusty  Blackbird,  the  Red-headed  and 
the  Yellow-bellied  Woodpeckers,  Hermit  Thrush,  Ruby-crowned 
Kinglet,  Pipit ;  the  Pine,  the  Myrtle,  and  the  Yellow  Palm  War- 
blers; Goldfinch. 

APRIL    15    TO   MAY    I 

Increased  numbers  of  foregoing  group;  Brown  Thrasher; 
Alice's,  the  Olive-backed,  and  the  Wood  Thrushes  ;  Chimney 
Swift,  Whippoorwill,  Chewink,  the  Purple  Martin,  and  the  Cliff 
and  the  Bank  Swallows;  Least  Flycatcher  ;  the  Black-and-white 
Creeping,  the  Parula,  and  the  Black-throated  Green  Warblers  ; 
Ovenbird,  House  Wren,  Catbird. 


MAY  1  TO  15 

Increased  numbers  of  foregoing  group;  Wilson's  Thrush  or 
Veery;  Nighthawk,  Ruby-throated  Humming-bird,  the  Cuckoos, 
Crested  Flycatcher,  Kingbird,  Wood  Pewee,  the  Marsh  Wrens, 
Bank  Swallow,  the  five  Vireos,  the  Baltimore  and  Orchard  Ori- 
oles, Bobolink,  Indigo  Bird,  Rose-breasted  Grosbeak,  Scarlet  Tana- 
ger,  Maryland  Yellowthroat,  Yellow-breasted  Chat,  the  Water 
Thrushes;  and  the  Magnolia,  the  Yellow,  the  Black-throated 
Blue,  the  Bay-breasted,  the  Chestnut-sided,  and  the  Golden- 
winged  Warblers. 

30 


Seasons  of  Birds 
MAY    1 5   TO  JUNE    1 

Increased  numbers  of  foregoing  group ;  Yellow-bellied  Fly- 
catcher, Mocking-bird,  Summer  Tanager  ;  and  the  Blackburnian, 
the  Blackpoll,  the  Worm-eating,  the  Hooded,  Wilson's  Black- 
capped,  and  the  Canadian  Warblers. 

JUNE,   JULY,    AUGUST 

In  June  few  species  of  birds  are  not  nesting;  in  July  they 
may  rove  about  more  or  less  with  their  increased  families,  search- 
ing for  their  favorite  foods ;  August  finds  them  moulting  and  mop- 
ing in  silence,  but  toward  the  end  of  the  month,  thoughts  of 
returning  southward  set  them  astir  again. 

AUGUST    15   TO  SEPTEMBER    1 5 

Bobolink,  Cliff  Swallow,  Scarlet  Tanager,  Yellow-bellied 
Flycatcher,  Purple  Martin;  the  Blackburnian,  the  Worm-eating, 
the  Bay-breasted,  the  Chestnut-sided,  the  Hooded,  the  Mourning, 
Wilson's  Black-capped,  and  the  Canadian  Warblers;  Baltimore 
Oriole,  Humming-bird, 

SEPTEMBER    1 5   TO   OCTOBER    I 

Increased  numbers  of  foregoing  group  ;  Wilson's  Thrush, 
Wood  Thrush,  Kingbird,  Wood  Pewee,  Crested  Flycatcher;  the 
Least,  the  Olive-sided,  and  the  Acadian  Flycatchers;  the  Marsh 
Wrens,  the  Cuckoos,  Whippoorwill,  Rose-breasted  Grosbeak, 
Orchard  Oriole,  Indigo  Bird;  the  Warbling,  the  Solitary,  and 
the  Yellow-throated  Vireos;  the  Black-and-white  Creeping,  the 
Golden-winged,  the  Yellow,  and  the  Black-throated  Blue  War- 
blers; Maryland  Yellowthroat,  Yellow-breasted  Chat,  Redstart. 

OCTOBER    I    TO    15 

Increased  numbers  of  foregoing  group;  Hermit  Thrush,  Cat- 
bird, House  Wren,  Ovenbird,  the  Water  Thrushes,  the  Red-eyed 
and  the  White-eyed  Vireos,  Wood  Pewee,  Nighthawk,  Chimney 
Swift,  Cowbird,  Horned  Lark,  Winter  Wren,  Junco;  the  Tree, 
the  Vesper,  the  White-throated,  and  the  Grasshopper  Sparrows; 
the  Blackpoll,  the  Parula,  the  Pine,  the  Yellow  Palm,  and  the 
Prairie  Warblers;  Chickadee,  Tufted  Titmouse. 

31 


Seasons  of  Birds 

OCTOBER    15   TO  NOVEMBER    1 5 

Increased  numbers  of  foregoing  group ;  Wood  Thrush,  Wil- 
son's Thrush  or  Veery,  Alice's  Thrush,  Olive-backed  Thrush,  Robin, 
Chewink,  Brown  Thrasher,  Phoebe,  Shrike;  the  Fox,  the  Field, 
the  Swamp,  the  Savanna,  the  White-crowned,  the  Chipping,  and 
the  Song  Sparrows;  the  Red-winged  and  the  Rusty  Blackbirds; 
Meadowlark,  the  Crackles,  Flicker,  the  Red-headed  and  the 
Yellow-bellied  Woodpeckers;  Purple  Finch,  the  Kinglets,  the 
Nuthatches,  Pine  Siskin. 


32 


IV 
BIRDS  GROUPED  ACCORDING  TO  SIZE 


BIRDS    GROUPED    ACCORDING    TO    SIZE 


SMALLER    THAN    THE    ENGLISH    SPARROW 


Humming-bird. 

The  Kinglets. 

The  Wrens. 

All  the  Warblers  not  mentioned 

elsewhere. 
Redstart. 
Ovenbird. 
Chickadee. 
Tufted  Titmouse. 
Red-breasted  Nuthatch. 
White-breasted  Nuthatch, 
Blue-gray  Gnatcatcher. 
Yellow-bellied  Flycatcher. 
Acadian  Flycatcher. 
Least  Flycatcher. 


The  Redpolls. 
Goldfinch. 
Pine  Siskin. 
Savanna  Sparrow. 
Grasshopper  Sparrow. 
Sharp-tailed  Sparrow. 
Chipping  Sparrow, 
Field  Sparrow. 
Swamp  Song  Sparrow. 
Indigo  Bunting. 
Warbling  Vireo. 
Yellow-throated  Vireo. 
Red-eyed  Vireo. 
White-eyed  Vireo. 
Brown  Creeper. 


ABOUT   THE    SIZE    OF   THE    ENGLISH    SPARROW 


Purple  Finch. 
The  Crossbills. 
The  Longspurs. 
Vesper  Sparrow. 
Seaside  Sparrow. 
Tree  Sparrow. 


Junco. 

Song  Sparrow. 

Solitary  Vireo. 

The  Water-thrushes. 

Pipit  or  Titlark. 

Downy  Woodpecker. 


LARGER  THAN  THE  ENGLISH  SPARROW  AND  SMALLER 
THAN    THE    ROBIN 


Yellow-bellied  Woodpecker. 
Chimney  Swift  (apparently). 
The  Swallows  (apparently). 


Kingbird. 

Crested  Flycatcher. 
Phoebe. 


35 


Birds  Grouped  According  to  Size 


Olive-sided  Flycatcher. 

Wood  Pewee. 

Horned  Lark. 

Bobolink. 

Cowbird. 

Orchard  Oriole. 

Baltimore  Oriole. 

The  Grosbeaks  :  Evening,  Blue, 
Pine,  Rose-breasted,  and  Car- 
dinal. 


Snowflake. 

White-crowned  Sparrow, 
White-throated  Sparrow. 
Fox  Sparrow. 
The  Tanagers. 
Cedar  Bird. 
Bohemian  Waxwing. 
Yellow-breasted  Chat. 
The  Thrushes. 
Bluebird. 


ABOUT    THE    LENGTH    OF   THE    ROBIN 


Red-headed  Woodpecker, 
Hairy  Woodpecker. 
Red-winged  Blackbird. 
Rusty  Blackbird. 
Loggerhead  Shrike, 


Northern  Shrike. 

Mocking-bird. 

Catbird. 

Chewink. 

Purple  Martin  (apparently). 


LONGER   THAN   THE    ROBIN 


Mourning  Dove, 

The  Cuckoos. 

Kingfisher. 

Flicker. 

Raven. 

Crow. 

Fish  Crow, 


Blue  Jay. 
Canada  Jay. 
Meadowlark. 

Whippoorwill  (apparently) 
Nighthawk  (apparently) 
The  Crackles. 
Brown  Thrasher. 


36 


DESCRIPTIONS  OF  BIRDS 

GROUPED   ACCORDING   TO   COLOR 


BIRDS  CONSPICUOUSLY  BLACK 

Common  Crow 
Fish  Crow 
American  Raven 
Purple  Grackle 
Bronzed  Grackle 
Rusty  Blackbird 
Red-winged  Blackbird 
Purple  Martin 
Cowbird 


See  also   several   of  the   Swallows;    the    Kingbird,   the   Phoebe,  the    \Vood 
Pewee,  and  other  Flycatchers;   the  Chimney  Swift;  and  the  Chewink. 


BIRDS    CONSPICUOUSLY    BLACK 

The  Common  Crow 

(Corvus  Americanus)  Crow  family 

Called  also  :   CORN   THIEF 

Length — 16  to  17.50  inches. 

Male— G\ossy  black  with  violet  reflections.  Wings  appear  saw- 
toothed  when  spread,  and  almost  equal  the  tail  in  length. 

Female — Like  male,  except  that  the  black  is  less  brilliant. 

i?^«^^— Throughout  North  America,  from  Hudson  Bay  to  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico. 

Migrations — March.     October.     Summer  and  winter  resident. 

If  we  have  an  eye  for  the  picturesque,  we  place  a  certain 
value  upon  the  broad,  strong  dash  of  color  in  the  landscape,  given 
by  a  flock  of  crows  flapping  their  course  above  a  corn-field,  against 
an  October  sky  ;  but  the  practical  eye  of  the  farmer  looks  only 
for  his  gun  in  such  a  case.  To  him  the  crow  is  an  unmitigated 
nuisance,  all  the  more  maddening  because  it  is  clever  enough  to 
circumvent  every  means  devised  for  its  ruin.  Nothing  escapes 
its  rapacity  ;  fear  is  unknown  to  it.  It  migrates  in  broad  day- 
light, chooses  the  most  conspicuous  perches,  and  yet  its  assur- 
ance is  amply  justified  in  its  steadily  increasing  numbers. 

In  the  very  early  spring,  note  well  the  friendly  way  in  which 
the  crow  follows  the  plow,  ingratiating  itself  by  eating  the  larvse, 
field  mice,  and  worms  upturned  in  the  furrows,  for  this  is  its  one 
serviceable  act  throughout  the  year.  When  the  first  brood  of 
chickens  is  hatched,  its  serious  depredations  begin.  Not  only 
the  farmer's  young  fledglings,  ducks,  turkeys,  and  chicks,  are 
snatched  up  and  devoured,  but  the  nests  of  song  birds  are  made 
desolate,  eggs  being  crushed  and  eaten  on  the  spot,  when  there 
are  no  birds  to  carry  off  to  the  rickety,  coarse  nest  in  the  high 
tree  top  in  the  woods.     The  fish  crow,  however,  is  the  much 

41 


Conspicuously  Black 

greater  enemy  of  the  birds.  Like  the  common  crows,  this,  their 
smaller  cousin,  likes  to  congregate  in  winter  along  the  seacoast 
to  feed  upon  shell-fish  and  other  sea-food  that  the  tide  brings  to 
its  feet. 

Samuels  claims  to  have  seen  a  pair  of  crows  visit  an  orchard 
and  destroy  the  young  in  two  robins'  nests  in  half  an  hour.  He 
calculates  that  two  crows  kill,  in  one  day  alone,  young  birds  that 
in  the  course  of  the  season  would  have  eaten  a  hundred  thousand 
insects.  When,  in  addition  to  these  atrocities,  we  remember  the 
crow's  depredations  in  the  corn-field,  it  is  small  wonder  that 
among  the  first  laws  enacted  in  New  York  State  was  one  offering 
a  reward  for  its  head.  But  the  more  scientific  agriculturists  now 
concede  that  the  crow  is  the  farmer's  true  friend. 


Fish  Crow 

(Corvus  ossifragus)  Crow  family 

Length — 14  to  16  inches.     About  half  as  large  again  as  the  robin. 
Male  and  Female — Glossy  black,  with  purplish-blue  reflections, 

generally  greener  underneath.     Chin  naked. 
J^a?ige — Along   Atlantic   coast  and   that  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico, 

northward  to  southern  New  England.     Rare  stragglers  on 

the  Pacific  coast. 
Migrations — March  or  April.     September.     Summer  resident  only 

at  northern  limit  of  range.     Is  found  in  Hudson  River  valley 

about  half-way  to  Albany. 

Compared  with  the  common  crow,  with  which  it  is  often 
confounded,  the  fish  crow  is  of  much  smaller,  more  slender 
build.  Thus  its  flight  is  less  labored  and  more  like  a  gull's, 
whose  habit  of  catching  fish  that  may  be  swimming  near  the 
surface  of  the  water  it  sometimes  adopts.  Both  Audubon  and 
Wilson,  who  first  made  this  species  known,  record  its  habit  of 
snatching  food  as  it  flies  over  the  southern  waters — a  rare  practice 
at  the  north.  Its  plumage,  too,  differs  slightly  from  the  common 
crow's  in  being  a  richer  black  everywhere,  and  particularly 
underneath,  where  the  "corn  thief"  is  dull.  But  it  is  the  dif- 
ference between  the  two  crows'  call-note  that  we  chiefly  depend 
upon  to  distinguish  these  confusing  cousins.  To  say  that  the 
fish  crow  says  car-r-r  instead  of  a  loud,  clear  caw,  means  little 

42 


Conspicuously  Black 

until  we  have  had  an  opportunity  to  compare  its  hoarse,  cracked 
voice  with  the  other  bird's  fluniliar  call. 

From  the  farmer's  point  of  view,  there  is  still  another  dis- 
tinction: the  fish  crow  lets  his  crops  alone.  It  contents  itself 
with  picking  up  refuse  on  the  shores  of  the  sea  or  rivers  not  far 
inland;  haunting  the  neighborhood  of  fishermen's  huts  for  the 
small  fish  discarded  when  the  seines  are  drawn,  and  treading  out 
with  its  toes  the  shell-fish  hidden  in  the  sand  at  low  tide.  When 
we  see  it  in  the  fields  it  is  usually  intent  upon  catching  field- 
mice,  grubs,  and  worms,  with  which  it  often  varies  its  fish  diet.  It 
is,  however,  the  worst  nest  robber  we  have  ;  it  probably  destroys 
ten  times  as  many  eggs  and  young  birds  as  its  larger  cousin. 

The  fishermen  have  a  tradition  that  this  southern  crow 
comes  and  goes  with  the  shad  and  herring— a  saw  which  science 
unkindly  disapproves. 

American  Raven 
(Corvus  corax  principalis)  Crow  family 

Called  also:  NORTHERN    RAVEN 

Length — 26  to  27  inches.    Nearly  three  times  as  large  as  a  robin. 
Male  and  Female — Glossy  black  above,  with  purplish  and  greenish 

reflections.     Duller  underneath.     Feathers  of  the  throat  and 

breast  long  and  loose,  like  fringe. 
Range — North   America,  from    polar   regions   to   Mexico.      Rare 

along  Atlantic  coast  and  in   the   south.      Common  in  the 

west,  and  very  abundant  in  the  northwest. 
Migrations — An  erratic  wanderer,  usually  resident  where  it  finds 

its  way. 

The  weird,  uncanny  voice  of  this  great  bird  that  soars  in 
wide  circles  above  the  evergreen  trees  of  dark  northern  forests 
seems  to  come  out  of  the  skies  like  the  malediction  of  an  evil 
spirit.  Without  uttering  the  words  of  any  language — Poe's 
"Nevermore"  was,  of  course,  a  poetic  license — people  of  all 
nationalities  appear  to  understand  that  some  dire  calamity,  some 
wicked  portent,  is  being  announced  every  time  the  unbirdlike 
creature  utters  its  rasping  call.  The  superstitious  folk  crow  with 
an  "  I  told  you  so,"  as  they  solemnly  wag  their  heads  when  they 
hear  of  some  death  in  the  village  after  "the  bird  of  ill-omen"  has 

43 


Conspicuously  Black 

made  an  unwelcome  visit  to  the  neighborhood.  It  receives  the 
blame  for  every  possible  misfortune. 

When  seen  in  the  air,  the  crow  is  the  only  other  bird  for 
which  the  raven  could  be  mistaken;  but  the  raven  does  more 
sailing  and  less  flapping,  and  he  delights  in  describing  circles  as 
he  easily  soars  high  above  the  trees.  On  the  ground,  he  is  seen 
to  be  a  far  larger  bird  than  the  largest  crow.  The  curious  beard 
or  fringe  of  feathers  on  his  breast  at  once  distinguishes  him. 

These  birds  show  the  family  instinct  for  living  in  flocks  large 
and  small,  not  of  ravens  only,  but  of  any  birds  of  their  own  gen- 
era. In  the  art  of  nest  building  they  could  instruct  most  of  their 
relatives.  High  up  in  evergreen  trees  or  on  the  top  of  cliffs, 
never  very  near  the  seashore,  they  make  a  compact,  symmetrical 
nest  of  sticks,  neatly  lined  with  grasses  and  wool  from  the  sheep 
pastures,  adding  soft,  comfortable  linings  to  the  old  nest  from 
year  to  year  for  each  new  brood.  When  the  young  emerge 
from  the  eggs,  which  take  many  curious  freaks  of  color  and  mark- 
ings, they  are  pied  black  and  white,  suggesting  the  young  of  the 
western  white-necked  raven,  a  similarity  which,  so  far  as  plu- 
mage is  concerned,  they  quickly  outgrow.  They  early  acquire  the 
fortunate  habit  of  eating  whatever  their  parents  set  before  them — 
grubs,  worms,  grain,  field-mice;  anything,  in  fact,  for  the  raven 
is  a  conspicuously  omnivorous  bird. 


Purple  Crackle 

(Quiscalus  qiiiscula)  Blackbird  family 

Called  also :  CROW    BLACKBIRD  ;    MAIZE    THIEF  ;    KEEL- 
TAILED   CRACKLE 

Length — 12  to  13  inches.  About  one-fourth  as  large  again  as  the 
robin. 

Male — Iridescent  black,  in  which  metallic  violet,  blue,  copper, 
and  green  tints  predominate.  The  plumage  of  this  grackle 
has  iridescent  bars.  Iris  cf  eye  bright  yellow  and  conspic- 
uous.    Tail  longer  than  wings. 

Female — Less  brilliant  black  than  male,  and  smaller. 

Range — Gulf  of  Mexico  to  57th  parallel  north  latitude. 

Migrations — Permanent  resident  in  Southern  States.  Few  are 
permanent  throughout  range.  Migrates  in  immense  flocks 
in  March  and  September. 

44 


Conspicuously  Black 

This  "refined  crow"  (which  is  really  no  crow  at  all  except 
in  appearance)  has  scarcely  more  friends  than  a  thief  is  entitled 
to  ;  for,  although  in  many  sections  of  the  country  it  has  given  up 
its  old  habit  of  stealing  Indian  corn  and  substituted  ravages  upon 
the  grasshoppers  instead,  it  still  indulges  a  crow-like  instinct  for 
pillaging  nests  and  eating  young  birds. 

Travelling  in  immense  flocks  of  its  own  kind,  a  gregarious 
bird  of  the  first  order,  it  nevertheless  is  not  the  social  fellow  that 
its  cousin,  the  red-winged  blackbird,  is.  It  especially  holds 
aloof  from  mankind,  and  mankind  reciprocates  its  suspicion. 

The  tallest,  densest  evergreens  are  not  too  remote  for  it, 
to  build  its  home,  according  to  Dr.  Abbott,  though  in  other 
States  than  New  Jersey,  where  he  observed  them,  an  old 
orchard  often  contains  dozens  of  nests.  One  peculiarity  of  the 
grackles  is  that  their  eggs  vary  so  much  in  coloring  and  mark- 
ings that  different  sets  examined  in  the  same  groups  of  trees 
are  often  wholly  unlike.  The  average  groundwork,  however,  is 
soiled  blue  or  greenish,  waved,  streaked,  or  clouded  with  brown. 
These  are  laid  in  a  nest  made  of  miscellaneous  sticks  and  grasses, 
rather  carefully  constructed,  and  lined  with  mud.  Another  pecu- 
liarity is  the  bird's  method  of  steering  itself  by  its  tail  when  it 
wishes  to  turn  its  direction  or  alight. 

Peering  at  you  from  the  top  of  a  dark  pine  tree  with  its 
staring  yellow  eye,  the  grackle  is  certainly  uncanny.  There, 
very  early  in  the  spring,  you  may  hear  its  cracked  and  wheezy 
whistle,  for,  being  aware  that  however  much  it  may  look  like  a 
crow  it  belongs  to  another  family,  it  makes  a  ridiculous  attempt 
to  sing.  When  a  number  of  grackles  lift  up  their  voices  at  once, 
some  one  has  aptly  likened  the  result  to  a  "good  wheel-barrow 
chorus ! "  The  grackle's  mate  alone  appreciates  his  efforts  as, 
standing  on  tiptoe,  with  half-spread  wings  and  tail,  he  pours 
forth  his  craven  soul  to  her  through  a  disjointed  larynx. 

With  all  their  faults,  and  they  are  numerous,  let  it  be  re- 
corded of  both  crows  and  grackles  that  they  are  as  devoted  lovers 
as  turtle-doves.     Lowell  characterizes  them  in  these  four  lines  : 

"  Fust  come  the  black  birds,  clatt'rin'  in  tall  trees, 
And  settlin'  things  in  windy  Congresses  ; 
Queer  politicians,  though,  for  I'll  be  skinned 
If  all  on  'em  don't  head  against  the  wind." 
•  .  .  •  • 

45 


Conspicuously  Black 

The  Bronzed  Crackle  {Qttiscahis  qiiisaila  cenens)  differs  from 
the  preceding  chiefly  in  the  more  brownish  bronze  tint  of  its 
plumage  and  its  lack  of  iridescent  bars.  Its  range  is  more  west- 
erly, and  in  the  southwest  it  is  particularly  common  ;  but  as  a 
summer  resident  it  finds  its  way  to  New  England  in  large  num- 
bers. The  call-note  is  louder  and  more  metallic  than  the  purple 
grackle's.  In  nearly  all  respects  the  habits  of  these  two  birds  are 
identical. 


Rusty  Blackbird 

( Scolecophagus  carolinus)  Blackbird  family 

Called   also :    THRUSH    BLACKBIRD  ;    RUSTY    CRACKLE  ; 
RUSTY   ORIOLE  ;   RUSTY   CROW  ;    BLACKBIRD 

Length — 9  to  9.55  inches.     A  trifle  smaller  than  the  robin. 

Male — In  full   plumage,  glossy  black  with   metallic   reflections, 

intermixed  with  rusty  brown  that  becomes  more  pronounced 

as  the  season  advances.     Pale  straw-colored  eyes. 
Female — Duller    plumage    and    more   rusty,    inclining  to   gray. 

Light  line  over  eye.     Smaller  than  male, 
Range — North  America,  from  Newfoundland  to  Gulf  of  Mexico 

and  westward  to  the  Plains. 
Migrations — April.     November.     A  few  winter  north. 

A  more  sociable  bird  than  the  grackle,  though  it  travel  in 
smaller  flocks,  the  rusty  blackbird  condescends  to  mingle  freely 
with  other  feathered  friends  in  marshes  and  by  brooksides.  You 
can  identify  it  by  its  rusty  feathers  and  pale  yellow  eye,  and 
easily  distinguish  the  rusty-gray  female  from  the  female  redwing 
that  is  conspicuously  streaked. 

In  April  flocks  of  these  birds  may  frequently  be  seen  along 
sluggish,  secluded  streams  in  the  woods,  feeding  upon  the  seeds 
of  various  water  or  brookside  plants,  and  probably  upon  insects 
also.  At  such  times  they  often  indulge  in  a  curious  spluttering, 
squeaking,  musical  concert  that  one  listens  to  with  pleasure. 
The  breeding  range  is  mostly  north  of  the  United  States.  But 
little  seems  to  be  known  of  the  birds'  habits  in  their  northern 
home. 

Why  it  should  ever  have  been  called  a  thrush  blackbird  is  one 
of  those  inscrutable  mysteries  peculiar  to  the  naming  of  birds 

46 


REDWINGED    BLACKBIRD 


Conspicuously  Black 

which  are  so  frequently  called  precisely  what  they  are  not.  In 
spite  of  the  compliment  implied  in  associating  the  name  of  one 
of  our  finest  songsters  with  it,  the  rusty  blackbird  has  a  clucking 
call  as  unmusical  as  it  is  infrequent,  and  only  very  rarely  in  the 
spring  does  it  pipe  a  note  that  even  suggests  the  sweetness  of 
the  redwing's. 


Red-winged  Blackbird 

( Agelaiiis  phoeniceits)  Blackbird  family 

Called  also:  SWAMP  BLACKBIRD  ;    RED-WINGED  ORIOLE  ; 
RED-WINGED   STARLING 

Length — Exceptionally  variable — 7.50  to  9.80  inches.  Usually 
about  an  inch  smaller  than  the  robin. 

Male — Coal-black.     Shoulders  scarlet,  edged  with  yellow. 

Female — Feathers  finely  and  inconspicuously  speckled  with 
brown,  rusty  black,  whitish,  and  orange.  Upper  wing- 
coverts  rusty  black,  tipped  with  white,  or  rufous  and  some- 
times spotted  with  black  and  red. 

Range — North  America.  Breeds  from  Texas  to  Columbia  River, 
and  throughout  the  United  States.  Commonly  found  from 
Mexico  to  57th  degree  north  latitude. 

Migrations — March.     October.     Common  summer  resident. 

In  oozy  pastures  where  a  brook  lazily  finds  its  way  through 
the  farm  is  the  ideal  pleasure  ground  of  this  "bird  of  society." 
His  noXts, ,'' h'-wa-ker-ee"  or  "■  con-quer-ee"  (on  an  ascending 
scale),  are  liquid  in  quality,  suggesting  the  sweet,  moist,  cool 
retreats  where  he  nests.  Liking  either  heat  or  cold  (he  is  fond 
of  wintering  in  Florida,  but  often  retreats  to  the  north  while  the 
marshes  are  still  frozen) ;  enjoying  not  only  the  company  of  large 
flocks  of  his  own  kind  with  whom  he  travels,  but  any  bird 
associates  with  whom  he  can  scrape  acquaintance  ;  or  to  sit 
quietly  on  a  tree-top  in  the  secluded,  inaccessible  bog  while  his 
mate  is  nesting;  satisfied  with  cut-worms,  grubs,  and  insects,  or 
with  fruit  and  grain  for  his  food — the  blackbird  is  an  impressive 
and  helpful  example  of  how  to  get  the  best  out  of  life. 

Yet,  of  all  the  birds,  some  farmers  complain  that  the  black- 
bird is  the  greatest  nuisance.  They  dislike  the  noisy  chatterings 
when  a  flock   is   simply   indulging  its   social  instincts.     They 

47 


Conspicuously  Black 

complain,  too,  that  the  blackbirds  eat  their  corn,  forgetting  that 
having  devoured  innumerable  grubs  from  it  during  the  summer, 
the  birds  feel  justly  entitled  to  a  share  of  the  profits.  Though 
occasionally  guilty  of  eating  the  farmer's  corn  and  oats  and  rice, 
yet  it  has  been  found  that  nearly  seven-eighths  of  the  red- 
wing's food  is  made  up  of  weed-seeds  or  of  insects  injurious  to 
agriculture. 

This  bird  builds  its  nest  in  low  bushes  on  the  margin  of 
ponds  or  low  in  the  bog  grass  of  marshes.  From  three  to  five 
pale-blue  eggs,  curiously  streaked,  spotted,  and  scrawled  with 
black  or  purple,  constitute  a  brood.  Nursery  duties  are  soon 
finished,  for  in  July  the  young  birds  are  ready  to  gather  in  flocks 
with  their  elders. 

"  The  blackbirds  make  the  maples  ring 
With  social  cheer  and  jubilee  ; 
The  red-wing  flutes  his  '  0-ka-lee  ! '  " 

— Emerson. 


Purple  Martin 

(Progne  suhis)  Swallow  family 

Length-^']  to  8  inches.     Two  or  three  inches  smaller  than  the 

robin. 
Male—'RAch   glossy  black   with  bluish   and    purple   reflections  ; 

duller  black  on  wings  and  tail.     Wings  rather  longer  than 

the  tail,  which  is  forked. 
Female — More  brownish  and  mottled  ;  grayish  below. 
^ange — Peculiar  to  America.      Penetrates  from  Arctic  Circle  to 

South  America. 
Migrations — Late  April.     Early  September.     Summer  resident. 

In  old-fashioned  gardens,  set  on  a  pole  over  which  honey- 
suckle and  roses  climbed  from  a  bed  where  China  pinks,  phlox, 
sweet  Williams,  and  hollyhocks  crowded  each  other  below, 
martin  boxes  used  always  to  be  seen  with  a  pair  of  these  large, 
beautiful  swallows  circling  overhead.  But  now,  alas!  the  boxes, 
where  set  up  at  all,  are  quickly  monopolized  by  the  English  spar- 
row, a  bird  that  the  martin,  courageous  as  a  kingbird  in  attacking 
crows  and  hawks,  tolerates  as  a  neighbor  only  when  it  must. 

Bradford  Torrey  tells  of  seeing  quantities  of  long-necked 
squashes  dangling  from  poles  about  the  negro  cabins  all  through 

48 


Conspicuously  Black 

the  South.  One  day  he  asked  an  old  colored  man  what  these 
squashes  were  for. 

"Why,  deh  is  martins'  boxes,"  said  Uncle  Remus.  "No 
danger  of  hawks  carryin'  off  de  chickens  so  long  as  de  martins 
am  around." 

The  Indians,  too,  have  always  had  a  special  liking  for  this 
bird.  They  often  lined  a  hollowed-out  gourd  with  bits  of  bark 
and  fastened  it  in  the  crotch  of  their  tent  poles  to  invite  its  friend- 
ship. The  Mohegan  Indians  have  called  it  "the  bird  that  never 
rests" — a  name  better  suited  to  the  tireless  barn  swallow.  Dr. 
Abbott  thinks. 

Wasps,  beetles,  and  all  manner  of  injurious  garden  insects 
constitute  its  diet — another  reason  for  its  universal  popularity. 
It  is  simple  enough  to  distinguish  the  martins  from  the  other 
swallows  by  their  larger  size  and  iridescent  dark  coat,  not  to 
mention  their  song,  which  is  very  soft  and  sweet,  like  musical 
laughter,  rippling  up  through  the  throat. 


Cowbird 

(Molothrus  ater)  Blackbird  family 

Called  also:  BROWN-HEADED   ORIOLE;   COW-PEN    BIRD; 
COW   BLACKBIRD  ;   COW   BUNTING 

Length — 7  to  8  inches.     About  one-fifth  smaller  than  the  robin. 
Male — Iridescent  black,  with  head,  neck,  and  breast  glistening 

brown.     Bill  dark  brown,  feet  brownish. 
Female — Dull  grayish-brown  above,  a  shade  lighter  below,  and 

streaked  with  paler  shades  of  brown. 
Range — United  States,  from  coast  to  coast.     North  into   British 

America,  south  into  Mexico. 
Migrations — March.    November.     Common  summer  resident. 

The  cowbird  takes  its  name  from  its  habit  of  walking  about 
among  the  cattle  in  the  pasture,  picking  up  the  small  insects 
which  the  cattle  disturb  in  their  grazing.  The  bird  may  often 
be  seen  within  a  foot  or  two  of  the  nose  of  a  cow  or  heifer,  walk- 
ing briskly  about  like  a  miniature  hen,  intently  watching  for  its 
insect  prey. 

Its    marital    and    domestic    character    is    thoroughly    bad. 

49 


Conspicuously  Black 

Polygamous  and  utterly  irresponsible  for  its  offspring,  this  bird 
forms  a  striking  contrast  to  other  feathered  neighbors,  and  indeed 
is  almost  an  anomaly  in  the  animal  kingdom.  In  the  breeding 
season  an  unnatural  mother  may  be  seen  skulking  about  in  the 
trees  and  shrubbery,  seeking  for  nests  in  which  to  place  a  sur- 
reptitious egg,  never  imposing  it  upon  a  bird  of  its  size,  but  se- 
lecting in  a  cowardly  way  a  small  nest,  as  that  of  the  vireos  or 
warblers  or  chipping  sparrows,  and  there  leaving  the  hatching  and 
care  of  its  young  to  the  tender  mercies  of  some  already  burdened 
little  mother.  It  has  been  seen  to  remove  an  egg  from  the  nest 
of  the  red-eyed  vireo  m  order  to  place  one  of  its  own  in  its 
place.  Not  finding  a  convenient  nest,  it  will  even  drop  its  eggs 
on  the  ground,  trusting  them  to  merciless  fate,  or,  still  worse, 
devouring  them.  The  eggs  are  nearly  an  inch  long,  white 
speckled  with  brown  or  gray. 

Cowbirds  are  gregarious.  The  ungrateful  young  birds,  as 
soon  as  they  are  able  to  go  roaming,  leave  their  foster-parents  and 
join  the  flock  of  their  own  kind.  In  keeping  with  its  unclean 
habits  and  unholy  life  and  character,  the  cowbird's  ordinary  note 
is  a  gurgling,  rasping  whistle,  followed  by  a  few  sharp  notes. 


50 


BIRDS  CONSPICUOUSLY  BLACK  AND  WHITE 

Red-headed  Woodpecker 

Hairy  Woodpecker 

Downy  Woodpecker 

Yellow-bellied  Woodpecker 

Chewink 

Snowflake 

Rose-breasted  Grosbeak 

Bobolink 

Black-poll  Warbler 

Black-and-white  Creeping  Warbler 


See  also  the  Swallows;  the  Shrikes;  Nuthatches  and  Titmice:  the  Kingbird 
and  other  Flycatchers;  the  Nighthawk;  the  Redstart;  and  the  following  Warblers: 
the  Myrtle;  the  Bay-breasted;  the  Blackburnian;  and  the  Black-throated  Blue 
Warbler. 


BIRDS  CONSPICUOUSLY  BLACK  AMD  WHITE 

Red-headed  Woodpecker 

(Melanerpes  erythrocephalus)  Woodpecker  family 

Called  also:  TRI-COLOR  ;  RED-HEAD 

Length — 8.50  to  9.75  inches.    An  inch  or  less  smaller  than  the 

robin. 
Male  and  Female — Head,  neck,  and  throat  crimson ;  breast   and 

underneath  white;  back  black  and  white;  wings  and  tail 

blue  black,  with  broad  white  band  on  wings  conspicuous  in 

flight. 
Mange— \}n\Xed.  States,  east  of  Rocky  Mountains   and   north  to 

Manitoba. 
Migrations— hhundimt  but  irregular  migrant.     Most  commonly 

seen  in  Autumn,  and  rarely  resident. 

In  thinly  populated  sections,  where  there  are  few  guns 
about,  this  is  still  one  of  the  commonest  as  it  is  perhaps  the  most 
conspicuous  member  of  the  woodpecker  family,  but  its  striking 
glossy  black-and-white  body  and  its  still  more  striking  crimson 
head,  flattened  out  against  the  side  of  a  tree  like  a  target,  where 
it  is  feeding,  have  made  it  all  too  tempting  a  mark  for  the  rifles 
of  the  sportsmen  and  the  sling-shots  of  small  boys.  As  if  suffi- 
cient attention  were  not  attracted  to  it  by  its  plumage,  it  must 
needs  keep  up  a  noisy,  guttural  rattle,  ker-r-ruck,  ker-r-ruck, 
very  like  a  tree-toad's  call,  and  flit  about  among  the  trees  with 
the  restlessness  of  a  fly-catcher.  Yet,  in  spite  of  these  invita- 
tions for  a  shot  to  the  passing  gunner,  it  still  multiplies  in  dis- 
tricts where  nuts  abound,  being  "more  common  than  the  robin" 
about  Washington,  says  John  Burroughs. 

All  the  familiar  woodpeckers  have  two  characteristics  most 
prominently  exemplified  in  this  red-headed  member  of  their 
tribe.  The  hairy,  the  downy,  the  crested,  the  red-bellied,  the 
sapsucker,  and  the  flicker  have  each  a  red  mark  somewhere  about 

53 


Conspicuously  Black  and  White 

their  heads  as  if  they  had  been  wounded  there  and  bled  a  little- 
some  more,  some  less  ;  and  the  figures  of  all  of  them,  from  much 
flattening  against  tree-trunks,  have  become  high-shouldered  and 
long-waisted. 

The  red-headed  woodpecker  selects,  by  preference,  a  partly 
decayed  tree  in  which  to  excavate  a  hole  for  its  nest,  because 
the  digging  is  easier,  and  the  sawdust  and  chips  make  a  softer 
lining  than  green  wood.  Both  male  and  female  take  turns  in 
this  hollowing-out  process.  The  one  that  is  off  duty  is  allowed 
"twenty  minutes  for  refreshments,"  consisting  of  grubs,  beetles, 
ripe  apples  or  cherries,  corn,  or  preferably  beech-nuts.  At  a 
loving  call  from  its  mate  in  the  hollow  tree,  it  returns  promptly 
to  perform  its  share  of  the  work,  when  the  carefully  observed 
"  time  is  up."  The  heap  of  sawdust  at  the  bottom  of  the  hollow 
will  eventually  cradle  from  four  to  six  glossy-white  eggs. 

This  woodpecker  has  the  thrifty  habit  of  storing  away  nuts 
in  the  knot-holes  of  trees,  between  cracks  in  the  bark,  or  in 
decayed  fence  rails — too  often  a  convenient  storehouse  at  which 
the  squirrels  may  help  themselves.  But  it  is  the  black  snake  that 
enters  the  nest  and  eats  the  young  family,  and  that  is  a  more 
deadly  foe  than  even  the  sportsman  or  the  milliner. 


The  Hairy  Woodpecker 

(Dryohates  villosiis)  Woodpecker  family 

Length — 9  to  lo  inches.     About  the  size  of  the  robin. 

Ma/e— Black  and  white  above,  white  beneath.  White  stripe 
down  the  back,  composed  of  long  hair-like  feathers.  Bright- 
red  band  on  the  nape  of  neck.  Wings  striped  and  dashed 
with  black  and  white.  Outer  tail  feathers  white,  without 
bars.     White  stripe  about  eyes  and  on  sides  of  the  head. 

Female — Without  the  red  band  on  head,  and  body  more  brown- 
ish than  that  of  the  male. 

Range — Eastern  parts  of  United  States,  from  the  Canadian  bor- 
der to  the  Carolinas. 

Migrations — Resident  throughout  its  range. 

The  bill  of  the  woodpecker  is  a  hammering  tool,  well  fitted 
for  its  work.     Its  mission  in  life  is  to  rid  the  trees  of  insects, 

54 


REDHEADED    WOODPECKER 


Conspicuously  Black  and  White 

which  hide  beneath  the  bark,  and  with  this  end  in  view,  the  bird 
is  seen  clinging  to  the  trunks  and  branches  of  trees  through  fair 
and  wintry  weather,  industriously  scanning  every  inch  for  the 
well-known  signs  of  the  boring  worm  or  destructive  fly. 

In  the  autumn  the  male  begins  t6  excavate  his  winter  quar- 
ters, carrying  or  throwing  out  the  chips,  by  which  this  good 
workman  is  known,  with  his  beak,  while  the  female  may  make 
herself  cosey  or  not,  as  she  chooses,  in  an  abandoned  hole.  About 
her  comfort  he  seems  shamefully  unconcerned.  Intent  only  on 
his  own,  he  drills  a  perfectly  round  hole,  usually  on  the  under 
side  of  a  limb  where  neither  snow  nor  wind  can  harm  him,  and 
digs  out  a  horizontal  tunnel  in  the  dry,  brittle  wood  in  the  very 
heart  of  the  tree,  before  turning  downward  into  the  deep,  pear- 
shaped  chamber,  where  he  lives  in  selfish  solitude.  But  when  the 
nesting  season  comes,  how  devoted  he  is  temporarily  to  the  mate 
he  has  neglected  and  even  abused  through  the  winter  !  Will  she 
never  learn  that  after  her  clear-white  eggs  are  laid  and  her  brood 
raised  he  will  relapse  into  the  savage  and  forget  all  his  tender 
wiles  ? 

The  hairy  woodpecker,  like  many  another  bird  and  beast,  fur- 
nishes much  doubtful  weather  lore  for  credulous  and  inexact  ob- 
servers. "When  the  woodpecker  pecks  low  on  the  trees,  expect 
warm  weather"  is  a  common  saying,  but  when  different  individ- 
uals are  seen  pecking  at  the  same  time,  one  but  a  few  feet  from 
the  ground,  and  another  among  the  high  branches,  one  may 
make  the  prophecy  that  pleases  him  best. 

The  hairy  woodpeckers  love  the  deep  woods.  They  are 
drummers,  not  singers;  but  when  walking  in  the  desolate  winter 
woods  even  the  drumming  and  tapping  of  the  busy  feathered 
workmen  on  a  resonant  limb  is  a  solace,  giving  a  sense  of  life  and 
cheerful  activity  which  is  invigorating. 


The  Downy  Woodpecker 

(Dryobates  pubescens)  Woodpecker  family 

Length— 6  to  7  inches.     About  the  size  of  the  English  sparrow. 

Male — Black  above,  striped  with  white.  Tail  shaped  like  a  wedge. 
Outer  tail  feathers  white,  and  barred  with  black.  Middle  tail 
feathers  black.  A  black  stripe  on  top  of  head,  and  distinct 
white  band  over  and  under  the  eyes.     Red  patch  on  upper 

55 


Conspicuously  Black  and  White 

side  of  neck.     Wings,  with  six  white  bands  crossing  them 

transversely;  white  underneath. 
Female — Similar,  but  without  scarlet  on  the  nape,  which  is  white. 
Range — Eastern  North  America,  from  Labrador  to  Florida. 
Migrations — Resident  all  the  year  throughout  its  range. 

The  downy  woodpecker  is  similar  to  his  big  relative,  the 
hairy  woodpecker,  in  color  and  shape,  though  much  smaller. 
His  outer  tail  feathers  are  white,  barred  with  black,  but  the 
hairy 's  white  outer  tail  feathers  lack  these  distinguishing  marks. 

He  is  often  called  a  sapsucker — though  quite  another  bird 
alone  merits  that  name — from  the  supposition  that  he  bores  into 
the  trees  for  the  purpose  of  sucking  the  sap  ;  but  his  tongue  is  ill 
adapted  for  such  use,  being  barbed  at  the  end,  and  most  orni- 
thologists consider  the  charge  libellous.  It  has  been  surmised 
that  he  bores  the  numerous  little  round  holes  close  together,  so 
often  seen,  with  the  idea  of  attracting  insects  to  the  luscious  sap. 
The  woodpeckers  never  drill  for  insects  in  live  wood.  The 
downy  actually  drills  these  little  holes  in  apple  and  other  trees  to 
feed  upon  the  inner  milky  bark  of  the  tree — the  cambium  layer. 
The  only  harm  to  be  laid  to  his  account  is  that,  in  his  zeal,  he 
sometimes  makes  a  ring  of  small  holes  so  continuous  as  to  inad- 
vertently damage  the  tree  by  girdling  it.  The  bird,  like  most 
others,  does  not  debar  himself  entirely  from  fruit  diet,  but  enjoys 
berries,  especially  poke-berries. 

He  is  very  social  with  birds  and  men  alike.  In  winter  he 
attaches  himself  to  strolling  bands  of  nuthatches  and  chickadees, 
and  in  summer  is  fond  of  making  friendly  visits  among  village 
folk,  frequenting  the  shade  trees  of  the  streets  and  grapevines 
of  back  gardens.  He  has  even  been  known  to  fearlessly  peck  at 
flies  on  window  panes. 

In  contrast  to  his  large  brother  woodpecker,  who  is  seldom 
drawn  from  timber  lands,  the  little  downy  member  of  the  family 
brings  the  comfort  of  his  cheery  presence  to  country  homes, 
beating  his  rolling  tattoo  in  spring  on  some  resonant  limb  under 
our  windows  in  the  garden  with  a  strength  worthy  of  a  larger 
drummer. 

This  rolling  tattoo,  or  drumming,  answers  several  purposes; 
by  it  he  determines  whether  the  tree  is  green  or  hollow;  it  startles 
insects  from  their  lurking  places  underneath  the  bark,  and  it 
also  serves  as  a  love  song. 

56 


Conspicuously  Black  and  White 

Yellow-bellied  Woodpecker 

(Sphyrapicus  varius)  Woodpecker  family 

Called  also:  THE    SAPSUCKER 

Length—^  to  8.6  inches.     About  one-fifth  smaller  than  the  robin. 
Male — Black,  white,  and  yellowish  white  above,  with  bright-red 

crown,  chin,  and  throat.     Breast  black,  in  form  of  crescent. 

A  yellowish-white  line,  beginning  at  bill  and  passing  below 

eye,  merges  into  the  pale  yellow  of  the  bird  underneath. 

Wings  spotted  with  white,  and  coverts  chiefly  white.     Tail 

black;  white  on  middle  of  feathers. 
Female — Paler,  and  with  head  and  throat  white. 
Range — Eastern  North  America,  from  Labrador  to  Central  America. 
Migrations — April.     October.     Resident  north  of  Massachusetts. 

Most  common  in  autumn. 

It  is  sad  to  record  that  this  exquisitely  marked  woodpecker, 
the  most  jovial  and  boisterous  of  its  family,  is  one  of  the  very 
few  bird  visitors  whose  intimacy  should  be  discouraged.  For  its 
useful  appetite  for  slugs  and  insects  which  it  can  take  on  the 
wing  with  wonderful  dexterity,  it  need  not  be  wholly  con- 
demned. But  as  we  look  upon  a  favorite  maple  or  fruit  tree 
devitalized  or  perhaps  wholly  dead  from  its  ravages,  we  cannot 
forget  that  this  bird,  while  a  most  abstemious  fruit-eater,  has  a 
pernicious  and  most  intemperate  thirst  for  sap.  Indeed,  it  spends 
much  of  its  time  in  the  orchard,  drilling  holes  into  the  freshest, 
most  vigorous  trees  ;  then,  when  their  sap  begins  to  flow,  it 
siphons  it  into  an  insatiable  throat,  stopping  in  its  orgie  only 
long  enough  to  snap  at  the  insects  that  have  been  attracted  to 
the  wounded  tree  by  the  streams  of  its  heart-blood  now  trickling 
down  its  sides.  Another  favorite  pastime  is  to  strip  the  bark  off 
a  tree,  then  peck  at  the  soft  wood  underneath — almost  as  fatal  a 
habit.  It  drills  holes  in  maples  in  early  spring  for  sap  only.  If  it 
drills  holes  in  fruit  trees  it  is  for  the  cambium  layer,  a  soft,  pulpy, 
nutritious  under-bark. 

These  woodpeckers  have  a  variety  of  call-notes,  but  their 
rapid  drumming  against  the  limbs  and  trunks  of  trees  is  the 
sound  we  always  associate  with  them  and  the  sound  that  Mr. 
Bicknell  says  is  the  love-note  of  the  family. 

Unhappily,  these  birds,  that  many  would  be  glad  to  have 

57 


Conspicuously  Black  and  White 

decrease  in  numbers,  take  extra  precautions  for  the  safety  of  their 
young  by  making  very  deep  excavations  for  their  nests,  often  as 
deep  as  eighteen  or  twenty  inches. 


The    Chewink 

{Pipilo  erythrophthalmus)  Finch  family 

Called  also:  GROUND  ROBIN  ;  TOWHEE  ;  TOWHEE  BUNT- 
ING ;  TOWHEE  GROUND  FINCH  ;  GRASEL 

Length — 8  to  8. 5  inches.     About  one-fifth  smaller  than  the  robin. 

Male — Upper  parts  black,  sometimes  margined  with  rufous.  Breast 
white;  chestnut  color  on  sides  and  rump.  Wings  marked 
with  white.  Three  outer  feathers  of  tail  striped  with  white, 
conspicuous  in  flight.  Bill  black  and  stout.  Red  eyes;  feet 
brown. 

Female — Brownish  where  the  male  is  black.     Abdomen  shading 

from  chestnut  to  white  in  the  centre. 
Range — From  Labrador,    on  the  north,  to  the  Southern  States  ; 

west  to  the  Rocky  Mountains. 
Migrations — April.     September  and  October,     Summer  resident. 

Very  rarely  a  winter  resident  at  the  north. 

The  unobtrusive  little  chewink  is  not  infrequently  mistaken 
for  a  robin,  because  of  the  reddish  chestnut  on  its  under  parts. 
Careful  observation,  however,  shows  important  distinctions.  It 
is  rather  smaller  and  darker  in  color;  its  carriage  and  form  are 
not  those  of  the  robin,  but  of  the  finch.  The  female  is  smaller 
still,  and  has  an  olive  tint  in  her  brown  back.  Her  eggs  are  in- 
conspicuous in  color,  dirty  white  speckled  with  brown,  and  laid 
in  a  sunken  nest  on  the  ground.  Dead  leaves  and  twigs  abound, 
and  form,  as  the  anxious  mother  fondly  hopes,  a  safe  hiding 
place  for  her  brood.  So  careful  concealment,  however,  brings 
peril  to  the  fledglings,  for  the  most  cautious  bird-lover  may,  and 
often  does,  inadvertently  set  his  foot  on  the  hidden  nest. 

The  chewink  derives  its  name  from  the  fancied  resemblance 
of  its  note  to  these  syllables,  while  those  naming  it  "towhee" 
hear  the  sound  to-whick,  to-which,  to-whee.  Its  song  is  rich, 
full,  and  pleasing,  and  given  only  when  the  bird  has  risen  to  the 
branches  above  its  low  foraging  ground. 

It  frequents  the  border  of  swampy  places  and  bushy  fields. 

58 


Conspicuously  Black  and  White 

It  is  generally  seen  in  the  underbrush,  picking  about  among  the 
dead  leaves  for  its  steady  diet  of  earthworms  and  larvae  of  in- 
sects, occasionally  regaling  itself  with  a  few  dropping  berries 
and  fruit. 

When  startled,  the  bird  rises  not  more  than  ten  or  twelve 
feet  from  the  earth,  and  utters  its  characteristic  calls.  On  ac- 
count of  this  habit  of  flying  low  and  grubbing  among  the  leaves, 
it  is  sometimes  called  the  ground  robin.  In  the  South  our  modest 
and  useful  little  food-gatherer  is  often  called  grasel,  especially  in 
Louisiana,  where  it  is  white-eyed,  and  is  much  esteemed,  alas! 
by  epicures. 

Snowflake 

(Plectrophenax  nivalis)  Finch  family 

Called  also :  S'HO\M   BUNTING;    WHITEBIRD  ;    SNOWBIRD; 

SNOW   LARK 

Length — 7  to  7. 5  inches.    About  one-fourth  smaller  than  the  robin. 

Male  and  Female — Head,  neck,  and  beneath  soiled  white,  with  a 
few  reddish-brown  feathers  on  top  of  head,  and  suggesting  an 
imperfect  collar.  Above,  grayish  brown  obsoletely  streaked 
with  black,  the  markings  being  most  conspicuous  in  a  band 
between  shoulders.  Lower  tail  feathers  black;  others,  white 
and  all  edged  with  white.  Wings  brown,  white,  and  gray. 
Plumage  unusually  variable.  In  summer  dress  (in  arctic 
regions)  the  bird  is  almost  white. 

Range — Circumpolar  regions  to  Kentucky  (in  winter  only). 

Migrations — Midwinter  visitor;  rarely,  if  ever,  resident  south  of 
arctic  regions. 

These  snowflakes  (mentioned  collectively,  for  it  is  impossible 
to  think  of  the  bird  except  in  great  flocks)  are  the  "true  spirits  of 
the  snowstorm,"  says  Thoreau.  They  are  animated  beings  that 
ride  upon  it,  and  have  their  life  in  it.  By  comparison  with  the 
climate  of  the  arctic  regions,  no  doubt  our  hardiest  winter  weather 
seems  luxuriously  mild  to  them.  We  associate  them  only  with 
those  wonderful  midwinter  days  when  sky,  fields,  and  woods 
alike  are  white,  and  a  "hard,  dull  bitterness  of  cold"  drives 
every  other  bird  and  beast  to  shelter.  It  is  said  they  often  pass 
the  night  buried  beneath  the  snow.  They  have  been  seen  to  dive 
beneath  it  to  escape  a  hawk. 

Whirling  about  in  the  drifting  snow  to  catch  the  seeds  on 

59 


Conspicuously  Black  and  White 

the  tallest  stalks  that  the  wind  in  the  open  meadows  uncovers, 
the  snowflakes  suggest  a  lot  of  dead  leaves  being  blown  through 
the  all-pervading  whiteness.  Beautiful  soft  brown,  gray,  and 
predominating  black-and-white  coloring  distinguish  these  capri- 
cious visitors  from  the  slaty  junco,  the  "snowbird"  more  com- 
monly known.  They  are,  indeed,  the  only  birds  we  have  that 
are  nearly  white;  and  rarely,  if  ever,  do  they  rise  far  above  the 
ground  their  plumage  so  admirably  imitates. 

At  the  far  north,  travellers  have  mentioned  their  inspiriting 
song,  but  in  the  United  States  we  hear  only  their  cheerful  twitter. 
Nansen  tells  of  seeing  an  occasional  snow  bunting  in  that  desola- 
tion of  arctic  ice  where  the  Fram  drifted  so  long. 


The  Rose-breasted  Grosbeak 

(Habia  ludoviciana)  Finch  family 

Length — 7. 75  to  8. 5  inches.    About  one-fifth  smaller  than  the  robin. 

Male — Head  and  upper  parts  black.  Breast  has  rose-carmine 
shield-shaped  patch,  often  extending  downward  to  the  centre 
of  the  abdomen.  Underneath,  tail  quills,  and  two  spots  on 
wings  white.     Conspicuous  yellow,  blunt  beak. 

Female — Brownish,  with  dark  streakings,  like  a  sparrow.  No 
rose-color.  Light  sulphur  yellow  under  wings.  Dark  brown, 
heavy  beak. 

Range — Eastern  North  America,  from  southern  Canada  to  Panama. 

Migratio7is — Early  May.     September.     Summer  resident. 

A  certain  ornithologist  tells  with  complacent  pride  of  having 
shot  over  fifty-eight  rose-breasted  grosbeaks  in  less  than  three 
weeks  (during  the  breeding  season)  to  learn  what  kind  of  food 
they  had  in  their  crops.  This  kind  of  devotion  to  science  may 
have  quite  as  much  to  do  with  the  growing  scarcity  of  this  bird 
in  some  localities  as  the  demands  of  the  milliners,  who,  however, 
receive  all  of  the  blame  for  the  slaughter  of  our  beautiful  songsters. 
The  farmers  in  Pennsylvania,  who,  with  more  truth  than  poetry, 
call  this  the  potato-bug  bird,  are  taking  active  measures,  how- 
ever, to  protect  the  neighbor  that  is  more  useful  to  their  crop  than 
all  the  insecticides  known.     It  also  eats  flies,  wasps,  and  grubs. 

Seen  upon  the  ground,  the  dark  bird  is  scarcely  attractive  with 
his  clumsy  beak  overbalancing  a  head  that  protrudes  with  stupid- 

60 


Conspicuously  Black  and  White 

looking  awkwardness;  but  as  he  rises  into  the  trees  his  lovely 
rose-colored  breast  and  under-wing  feathers  are  seen,  and  before 
he  has  had  time  to  repeat  his  delicious,  rich-voiced  warble  you 
are  already  in  love  with  him.  Vib'-ating  his  wings  after  the 
manner  of  the  mocking-bird,  he  pours  forth  a  marvellously  sweet, 
clear,  mellow  song  (with  something  of  the  quality  of  the  oriole's, 
robin's,  and  thrush's  notes),  making  the  day  on  which  you  first 
hear  it  memorable.  This  is  one  of  the  few  birds  that  sing  at 
night.  A  soft,  sweet,  rolling  warble,  heard  when  the  moon  is  at 
its  full  on  a  midsummer  night,  is  more  than  likely  to  come  from 
the  rose-breasted  grosbeak. 

It  is  not  that  his  quiet  little  sparrow-like  wife  has  advanced 
notions  of  feminine  independence  that  he  takes  his  turn  at  sitting 
upon  the  nest,  but  that  he  is  one  of  the  most  unselfish  and  devoted 
of  mates.  With  their  combined  efforts  they  construct  only  a 
coarse,  unlovely  cradle  in  a  thorn-bush  or  low  tree  near  an  old, 
overgrown  pasture  lot.  The  father  may  be  the  poorest  of  archi- 
tects, but  as  he  patiently  sits  brooding  over  the  green,  speckled 
eggs,  his  beautiful  rosy  breast  just  showing  above  the  grassy 
rim,  he  is  a  sufficient  adornment  for  any  bird's  home. 


The  Bobolink 

(DoUchonyx  ory^ivorus)  Blackbird  family 

Called  also:  REEDBIRD;  MAYBIRD;  MEADOW-BIRD;  AMERI- 
CAN ORTOLAN  ;  BUTTER-BIRD  ;  SKUNK  BLACKBIRD 

Length — 7  inches.     A  trifle  larger  than  the  English  sparrow. 
Male — In   sprmg  plumage:    black,  with   light-yellow  patch  on 

upper  neck,  also  on  edges  of  wings  and  tail  feathers.     Rump 

and  upper  wings  splashed  with  white.      Middle  of  back 

streaked  with  pale  buff.     Tail  feathers  have  pointed  tips.    In 

autumn  plumage,  resembles  female. 
Female — Dull  yellow-brown,  with  light  and  dark  dashes  on  back, 

wings,  and  tail.     Two  decided  dark  stripes  on  top  of  head. 
Range — North  America,  from  eastern  coast  to  western  prairies. 

Migrates  in  early  autumn  to  Southern  States,  and  in  winter  to 

South  America  and  West  Indies. 
Migrations — Early   May.     From   August  to  October.     Common 

summer  resident. 

61 


Conspicuously  Black  and  White 

Perhaps  none  of  our  birds  have  so  fitted  into  song  and  story 
as  the  bobolink.  Unlike  a  good  child,  who  should  "be  seen 
and  not  heard,"  he  is  heard  more  frequently  than  seen.  Very 
shy,  of  peering  eyes,  he  keeps  well  out  of  sight  in  the  meadow 
grass  before  entrancing  our  listening  ears.  The  bobolink  never 
soars  like  the  lark,  as  the  poets  would  have  us  believe,  but  gen- 
erally sings  on  the  wing,  flying  with  a  peculiar  self-conscious 
flight  horizontally  thirty  or  forty  feet  above  the  meadow  grass. 
He  also  sings  perched  upon  the  fence  or  tuft  of  grass.  He  is  one 
of  the  greatest  poseurs  among  the  birds. 

In  spring  and  early  summer  the  bobolinks  respond  to  every 
poet's  effort  to  imitate  their  notes.  "Dignified  'Robert  of  Lin- 
coln' is  telling  his  name,"  says  one;  "Spink,  spank,  spink,"  an- 
other hears  him  say.     But  best  of  all  are  Wilson  Flagg's  lines: 

.     .     .     "  Now  they  rise  and  now  they  fly  ; 
They  cross  and  turn,  and  in  and  out,  and  down  the  middle  and  wheel  about, 
With  a  '  Phew,  shew,  Wadolincon  ;  listen  to  me  Bobolincon  ! '  " 

After  midsummer  the  cares  of  the  family  have  so  worn  upon 
the  jollity  of  our  dashing,  rollicking  friend  that  his  song  is  seldom 
heard.  The  colors  of  his  coat  fiide  into  a  dull  yellowish  brown 
like  that  of  his  faithful  mate,  who  has  borne  the  greater  burden 
of  the  season,  for  he  has  two  complete  moults  each  year. 

The  bobolinks  build  their  nest  on  the  ground  in  high  grass. 
The  eggs  are  of  a  bluish  white.  Their  food  is  largely  insectivo- 
rous: grasshoppers,  crickets,  beetles,  spiders,  with  seeds  of  grass 
especially  for  variety. 

In  August  they  begin  their  journey  southward,  flying  mainly 
by  night.  Arriving  in  the  Southern  States,  they  become  the  sad- 
colored,  low-voiced  rice  or  reed  bird,  feeding  on  the  rice  fields, 
where  they  descend  to  the  ignominious  fate  of  being  dressed  for 
the  plate  of  the  epicure. 

Could  there  be  a  more  tragic  ending  to  the  glorious  note  of 
the  gay  songster  of  the  north  ? 


62 


Conspicuously  Black  and  White 

Blackpoll  Warbler 

(Dendroica  striata)  Wood  Warbler  family 

Length — 5.5  to  6  inches.  About  an  inch  smaller  than  the  English 
sparrow. 

Male—^\Ack  cap;  cheeks  and  beneath  grayish  white,  forming  a 
sort  of  collar,  more  or  less  distinct.  Upper  parts  striped 
gray,  black,  and  olive.  Breast  and  under  parts  white,  with 
black  streaks.     Tail  olive-brown,  with  yellow-white  spots. 

Female — Without  cap.  Greenish-olive  above,  faintly  streaked 
with  black.     Paler  than  male.     Bands  on  wings,  yellowish. 

Range — North  America,  to  Greenland  and  Alaska.  In  winter,  to 
northern  part  of  South  America. 

Migrations — Last  of  May.     Late  October. 

A  faint  " screep,  screep,"  like  "the  noise  made  by  striking 
two  pebbles  together,"  Audubon  says,  is  often  the  only  indication 
of  the  blackpoll's  presence;  but  surely  that  tireless  bird-student 
had  heard  its  more  characteristic  notes,  which,  rapidly  uttered, 
increasing  in  the  middle  of  the  strain  and  diminishing  toward  the 
end,  suggest  the  shrill,  wiry  hum  of  some  midsummer  insect. 
After  the  opera-glass  has  searched  him  out  we  find  him  by  no 
means  an  inconspicuous  bird.  A  dainty  little  fellow,  with  a 
glossy  black  cap  pulled  over  his  eyes,  he  is  almost  hidden  by  the 
dense  foliage  on  the  trees  by  the  time  he  returns  to  us  at  the  very 
end  of  spring.  Giraud  says  that  he  is  the  very  last  of  his  tribe  to 
come  north,  though  the  bay-breasted  warbler  has  usually  been 
thought  the  bird  to  wind  up  the  spring  procession. 

The  blackpoll  has  a  certain  characteristic  motion  that  distin- 
guishes him  from  the  black-and-white  creeper,  for  which  a  hasty 
glance  might  mistake  him,  and  from  the  jolly  little  chickadee  with 
his  black  cap.  Apparently  he  runs  about  the  tree-trunk,  but  in 
reality  he  so  flits  his  wings  that  his  feet  do  not  touch  the  bark  at 
all;  yet  so  rapidly  does  he  go  that  the  flipping  wing-motion  is 
not  observed.  He  is  most  often  seen  in  May  in  the  apple  trees, 
peeping  into  the  opening  blossoms  for  insects,  uttering  now  and 
then  his  slender,  lisping,  brief  song. 

Vivacious,  a  busy  hunter,  often  catching  insects  on  the  wing 
like  the  flycatchers,  he  is  a  cheerful,  useful  neighbor  the  short 
time  he  spends  with  us  before  travelling  to  the  far  north,  where 
he  mates  and  nests.  A  nest  has  been  found  on  Slide  Mountain, 
in  the  Catskills,  but  the  hardy  evergreens  of  Canada,  and  some- 

63 


Conspicuously  Black  and  White 

times  those  of  northern  New  England,  are  the  chosen  home  of 
this  little  bird  that  builds  a  nest  of  bits  of  root,  lichens,  and  sedges, 
amply  large  for  a  family  twice  the  size  of  his. 


Black-and-white  Creeping  Warbler 

(Mniotilta  varia)  Wood  Warbler  family 

Called  also  :   VARIED  CREEPING  WARBLER  ;    BLACK-AND- 
WHITE   CREEPER  ;  WHITEPOLL   WARBLER 

Length — 5  to  5.5  inches.  About  an  inch  smaller  than  the  English 
sparrow. 

Male — Upper  parts  white,  varied  with  black.  A  white  stripe 
along  the  summit  of  the  head  and  back  of  the  neck,  edged 
with  black.  White  line  above  and  below  the  eye.-  Black 
cheeks  and  throat,  grayish  in  females  and  young.  Breast 
white  in  middle,  with  black  stripes  on  sides.  Wings  and 
tail  rusty  black,  with  two  white  cross-bars  on  former,  and 
soiled  white  markings  on  tail  quills. 

Female — Paler  and  less  distinct  markings  throughout. 

Range — Peculiar  to  America.  Eastern  United  States  and  west- 
ward to  the  plains.  North  as  far  as  the  fur  countries.  Win- 
ters in  tropics  south  of  Florida. 

Migrations — April.     Late  September.     Summer  resident. 

Nine  times  out  often  this  active  little  warbler  is  mistaken  for 
the  downy  woodpecker,  not  because  of  his  coloring  alone,  but 
also  on  account  of  their  common  habit  of  running  up  and  down 
the  trunks  of  trees  and  on  the  under  side  of  branches,  looking  for 
insects,  on  which  all  the  warblers  subsist.  But  presently  the  true 
warbler  characteristic  of  restless  flitting  about  shows  itself.  A 
woodpecker  would  go  over  a  tree  with  painstaking,  systematic 
care,  while  the  black-and-white  warbler,  no  less  intent  upon 
securing  its  food,  hurries  off  from  tree  to  tree,  wherever  the  most 
promising  menu  is  offered. 

Clinging  to  the  mottled  bark  of  the  tree-trunk,  which  he  so 
closely  resembles,  it  would  be  difficult  to  find  him  were  it  not 
for  these  sudden  flittings  and  the  feeble  song,  "  Weachy, 
weachy,  weachy,  'twee,  'twee,  'tweet,"  he  half  lisps,  half  sings 
between  his  dashes  after  slugs.  Very  rarely  indeed  can  his  nest 
be  found  in  an  old  stump  or  mossy  bank,  where  bark,  leaves, 
and  hair  make  the  downy  cradle  for  his  four  or  five  tiny  babies. 

64 


DUSKY  AND  GRAY  AND  SLATE-COLORED 

BIRDS 

Chimney  Swift 

Kingbird 

Wood  Pewee 

Phoebe  and  Say's  Phoebe 

Crested  Flycatcher 

Olive-sided  Flycatcher 

Least  Flycatcher 

Chickadee 

Tufted  Titmouse 

Canada  Jay 

Catbird 

Mocking-bird 

Junco 

White-breasted  Nuthatch 

Red-breasted  Nuthatch 

Loggerhead  Shrike 

Northern  Shrike 

Bohemian  Waxwing 

Bay-breasted  Warbler 

Chestnut-sided  Warbler 

Golden-winged  Warbler 

Myrtle  Warbler 

Parula  Warbler 

Black-throated  Blue  Warbler 


See  also  the  Grayish  Green  and  the  Grayish  Brown  Birds,  particularly  the  Cedar 
Bird  several  Swallows,  the  Acadian  and  the  Yellow-bellied  Flycatchers;  Alice's  and 
the  Olive-backed  Thrushes;  the  Louisiana  Water  Thrush;  the  Blue-gray  Gnat- 
catcher;  and  the  Seaside  Sparrow.  See  also  the  females  of  the  following  birds:  Pine 
Grosbeak;  White-winged  Red  Crossbill;  Purple  Martin;  and  the  Nashville,  the  Pine, 
and  the  Magnolia  Warblers. 


DUSKY,   GRAY,   AND  SLATE-COLORED    BIRDS 

Chimney  Swift 

(Chcetura  pelagica)  Swift  family 

Called  also:   CHIMNEY  SWALLOW;  AMERICAN  SWIFT 

Length — 3  to  5.45  inches.  About  an  inch  shorter  than  the  Eng- 
lish sparrow.     Long  wings  make  its  length  appear  greater. 

3fale  a?td  Female — Deep  sooty  gray ;  throat  of  a  trifle  lighter  gray. 
Wings  extend  an  inch  and  a  half  beyond  the  even  tail.ffc^hich 
has  sliarply  pointed  and  very  elastic  quills,  that  serve  £4^|r>ps. 
Feet  are  muscular,  and  have  exceedingly  sharp  claw^!^ 

Range — Peculiar  to  North  America  east  of  the  Rockies,  and  from 
Labrador  to  Panama. 

Migrations — April.  September  or  October.  Common  summer 
resident. 

The  chimney  swift  is,  properly  speaking,  not  a  swallow  at 
all,  though  chimney  swallow  is  its  more  popular  name.  Rowing 
towards  the  roof  of  your  house,  as  if  it  used  first  one  wing,  then 
the  other,  its  flight,  while  swift  and  powerful,  is  stiff  and  mechan- 
ical, unlike  the  swallow's,  and  its  entire  aspect  suggests  a  bat. 
The  nighthawk  and  whippoorwill  are  its  relatives,  and  it  resem- 
bles them  not  a  little,  especially  in  its  nocturnal  habits. 

So  much  fault  has  been  found  with  the  misleading  names  of 
many  birds,  it  is  pleasant  to  record  the  fact  that  the  name  of  the 
chimney  swift  is  everything  it  ought  to  be.  No  other  birds  can 
surpass  and  few  can  equal  it  in  its  powerful  flight,  sometimes 
covering  a  thousand  miles  in  twenty-four  hours,  it  is  said,  and 
never  resting  except  in  its  roosting  places  (hollow  trees  or  chim- 
neys of  dwellings),  where  it  does  not  perch,  but  rather  clings  to 
the  sides  with  its  sharp  claws,  partly  supported  by  its  sharper 
tail.  Audubon  tells  of  a  certain  plane  tree  in  Kentucky  where 
he  counted  over  nine  thousand  of  these  swifts  clinging  to  the 
hollow  trunk. 

67 


Dusky,  Gray,  and  Slate-colored 

Their  nest,  which  is  a  loosely  woven  twig  lattice,  made  of 
twigs  of  trees,  which  the  birds  snap  off  with  their  beaks  and  carry 
in  their  beaks,  is  glued  with  the  bird's  saliva  or  tree-gum  into  a 
solid  structure,  and  firmly  attached  to  the  inside  of  chimneys,  or 
hollow  trees  where  there  are  no  houses  about.  Two  broods  in  a 
season  usually  emerge  from  the  pure  white,  elongated  eggs. 

What  a  twittering  there  is  in  the  chimney  that  the  swifts 
appropriate  after  the  winter  fires  have  died  out !  Instead  of  the 
hospitable  column  of  smoke  curling  from  the  top,  a  cloud  of  sooty 
birds  wheels  and  floats  above  it.  A  sound  as  of  distant  thunder 
fills  the  chimney  as  a  host  of  these  birds,  startled,  perhaps,  by  some 
indoor  noise,  whirl  their  way  upward.  Woe  betide  the  happy 
colony  if  a  sudden  cold  snap  in  early  summer  necessitates  the 
starting  of  a  fire  on  the  hearth  by  the  unsuspecting  householder  I 
The  glue  being  melted  by  the  fire,  "down  comes  the  cradle, 
babies  and  all "  into  the  glowing  embers.  A  prolonged,  heavy 
rain  also  causes  their  nests  to  loosen  their  hold  and  fall  with  the 
soot  to  the  bottom. 

Thrifty  New  England  housekeepers  claim  that  bedbugs, 
commonly  found  on  bats,  infest  the  bodies  of  swifts  also,  which 
is  one  reason  why  wire  netting  is  stretched  across  the  chimney 
tops  before  the  birds  arrive  from  the  South. 

Kingrbird 

(Tyrannus  tyranntis)  Flycatcher  family 

Called  also:  TYRANT   FLYCATCHER;    BEE   MARTIN 

Length — 8  inches.     About  two  inches  shorter  than  the  robin. 

Male — Ashy  black  above  ;  white,  shaded  with  ash-color,  beneath. 
A  concealed  crest  of  orange-red  on  crown.  Tail  black,  ter- 
minating with  a  white  band  conspicuous  in  flight.  Wing 
feathers  edged  with  white.     Feet  and  bill  black. 

Female — Similar  to  the  male,  but  lacking  the  crown. 

Range — United  States  to  the  Rocky  Mountains.  British  provinces 
to  Central  and  South  America. 

Migrations — May.     September.     Common  summer  resident. 

If  the  pugnacious  propensity  of  the  kingbird  is  the  occasion 
of  its  royal  name,  he  cannot  be  said  to  deserve  it  from  any  fine 
or  noble  qualities  he  possesses.     He  is  a  born  fighter  from  the  very 

68 


CHIMNEY   SWIFT 


Dusky,  Gray,  and  Slate-colored 

love  of  it,  without  provocation,  rhyme,  or  reason.  One  can  but 
watch  with  a  degree  of  admiration  his  bold  sallies  on  the  big, 
black  crow  or  the  marauding  hawk,  but  when  he  bullies  the 
small  inoffensive  birds  in  wanton  attacks  for  sheer  amusement, 
the  charge  is  less  entertaining.  Occasionally,  when  the  little  vic- 
tim shows  pluck  and  faces  his  assailant,  the  kingbird  will  literally 
turn  tail  and  show  the  white  feather.  His  method  of  attack  is 
always  when  a  bird  is  in  flight;  then  he  swoops  down  from  the 
telegraph  pole  or  high  point  of  vantage,  and  strikes  on  the  head  or 
back  of  the  neck,  darting  back  like  a  flash  to  the  exact  spot  from 
which  he  started.  By  these  tactics  he  avoids  a  return  blow  and 
retreats  from  danger.  He  never  makes  a  fair  hand-to-hand  fight, 
or  whatever  is  equivalent  in  bird  warfare.  It  is  a  satisfaction  to 
record  that  he  does  not  attempt  to  give  battle  to  the  catbird,  but 
whenever  in  view  makes  a  grand  detour  to  give  him  a  wide  berth. 
The  kingbird  feeds  on  beetles,  canker-worms,  and  winged 
insects,  with  an  occasional  dessert  of  berries.  He  is  popularly 
supposed  to  prefer  the  honeybee  as  his  favorite  tidbit,  but  the 
weight  of  opinion  is  adverse  to  the  charge  of  his  depopulating  the 
beehive,  even  though  he  owes  his  appellation  bee  martin  to  this 
tradition.  One  or  two  ornithologists  declare  that  he  selects  only 
the  drones  for  his  diet,  which  would  give  him  credit  for  marvel- 
lous sight  in  his  rapid  motion  through  the  air.  The  kingbird  is 
preeminently  a  bird  of  the  garden  and  orchard.  The  nest  is 
open,  though  deep,  and  not  carefully  concealed.  Eggs  are  nearly 
round,  bluish  white  spotted  with  brown  and  lilac.  With  truly 
royal  exclusiveness,  the  tyrant  favors  no  community  of  interest, 
but  sits  in  regal  state  on  a  conspicuous  throne,  and  takes  his 
grand  flights  alone  or  with  his  queen,  but  never  with  a  flock  of 
his  kind. 

Wood  Pewee 

(Contopus  virens)  Flycatcher  family   ■ 

Length — 6.50  inches.     A  trifle  larger  than  the  English  sparrow. 

Male — Dusky  brownish  olive  above,  darkest  on  head  ;  paler  on 
throat,  lighter  still  underneath,  and  with  a  yellowish  tinge 
on  the  dusky  gray  under  parts.  Dusky  wings  and  tail,  the 
wing  coverts  tipped  with  soiled  white,  forming  two  indistinct 
bars.     Whitish  eye-ring.     Wings  longer  than  tail. 

Female — Similar,  but  slightly  more  buff  underneath. 

69 


Dusky,  Gray,  and  Slate-colored 

jRange—E2istern  North  America,  from  Florida  to  northern  British 

provinces.     Winters  in  Central  America. 
Migrations — May.     October.     Common  summer  resident. 

The  wood  pewee,  like  the  olive-sided  flycatcher,  has  wings 
decidedly  longer  than  its  tail,  and  it  is  by  no  means  a  simple 
matter  for  the  novice  to  tell  these  birds  apart  or  separate  them 
distinctly  in  the  mind  from  the  other  members  of  a  family  whose 
coloring  and  habits  are  most  confusingly  similar.  This  dusky 
haunter  of  tall  shady  trees  has  not  yet  learned  to  be  sociable  like 
the  phoebe;  but  while  it  may  not  be  so  much  in  evidence  close 
to  our  homes,  it  is  doubtless  just  as  common.  The  orchard  is  as 
near  the  house  as  it  often  cares  to  come.  An  old  orchard,  where 
modern  insecticides  are  unknown  and  neglect  allows  insects  to 
riot  among  the  decayed  bark  and  fallen  fruit,  is  a  happy  hunting 
ground  enough;  but  the  bird's  real  preferences  are  decidedly  for 
high  tree-tops  in  the  woods,  where  no  sunshine  touches  the 
feathers  on  his  dusky  coat.  It  is  one  of  the  few  shade-loving 
birds.  In  deep  solitudes,  where  it  surely  retreats  by  nesting 
time,  however  neighborly  it  may  be  during  the  migrations,  its 
pensive,  pathetic  notes,  long  drawn  out,  seem  like  the  expression 
of  some  hidden  sorrow.  Pe-a-wee,  pe-a-wee,  peivee-ah-peer  is  the 
burden  of  its  plaintive  song,  a  sound  as  depressing  as  it  is  familiar 
in  every  walk  through  the  woods,  and  the  bird's  most  prominent 
characteristic. 

To  see  the  bird  dashing  about  in  his  aerial  chase  for  insects, 
no  one  would  accuse  him  of  melancholia.  He  keeps  an  eye  on 
the  "main  chance,"  whatever  his  preying  grief  may  be,  and 
never  allows  it  to  affect  his  appetite.  Returning  to  his  perch 
after  a  successful  sally  in  pursuit  of  the  passing  fly,  he  repeats  his 
"sweetly  solemn  thought"  over  and  over  again  all  day  long  and 
every  day  throughout  the  summer. 

The  wood  pewees  show  that  devotion  to  each  other  and  to 
their  home,  characteristic  of  their  family.  Both  lovers  work  on 
the  construction  of  the  flat  nest  that  is  saddled  on  some  mossy  or 
lichen-covered  limb,  and  so  cleverly  do  they  cover  the  rounded 
edge  with  bits  of  bark  and  lichen  that  sharp  eyes  only  can  detect 
where  the  cradle  lies.  Creamy-white  eggs,  whose  larger  end  is 
wreathed  with  brown  and  lilac  spots,  are  guarded  with  fiercei 
solicitude. 

Trowbridge  has  celebrated  this  bird  in  a  beautiful  poem. 

70 


Dusky,  Gray,  and  Slate-colored 

Phoebe 

(Sayornis  phoehe)  Flycatcher  family 

Called  also  .•  DUSKY  FLYCATCHER ;  BRIDGE  PE WEE ;  WATER 

PEWEE 

Length — 7  inches.    About  an  inch  longer  than  the  English  sparrow. 

Male  and  Female — Dusky  olive-brown  above  ;  darkest  on  head, 
which  is  slightly  crested.  Wings  and  tail  dusky,  the  outer 
edges  of  some  tail  feathers  whitish.  Dingy  yellowish  white 
underneath.     Bill  and  feet  black. 

Range — North  America,  from  Newfoundland  to  the  South  At- 
lantic States,  and  westward  to  the  Rockies.  Winters  south 
of  the  Carolinas,  into  Mexico,  Central  America,  and  the 
West  Indies. 

Migrations — March.     October.     Common  summer  resident. 

The  earliest  representative  of  the  flycatcher  family  to  come 
out  of  the  tropics  where  insect  life  fairly  swarms  and  teems, 
what  does  the  friendly  little  phoebe  find  to  attract  him  to  the 
north  in  March  while  his  prospective  dinners  must  all  be  still  in 
embryo  ?  He  looks  dejected,  it  is  true,  as  he  sits  solitary  and  silent 
on  some  projecting  bare  limb  in  the  garden,  awaiting  the  coming 
of  his  tardy  mate;  nevertheless,  the  date  of  his  return  will  not  vary 
by  more  than  a  few  days  in  a  given  locality  year  after  year.  Why 
birds  that  are  mated  for  life,  as  these  are  said  to  be,  and  such  de- 
voted lovers,  should  not  travel  together  on  their  journey  north, 
is  another  of  the  many  mysteries  of  bird-life  awaiting  solution. 

The  reunited,  happy  couple  go  about  the  garden  and  out- 
buildings like  domesticated  wrens,  investigating  the  crannies  on 
piazzas,  where  people  may  be  coming  and  going,  and  boldly 
entering  barn-lofts  to  find  a  suitable  site  for  the  nest  that  it  must 
take  much  of  both  time  and  skill  to  build. 

Pewit,  phcele,  phoehe;  pewit,  phoehe,  they  contentedly  but 
rather  monotonously  sing  as  they  investigate  all  the  sites  in  the 
neighborhood.  Presently  a  location  is  chosen  under  a  beam  or 
rafter,  and  the  work  of  collecting  moss  and  mud  for  the  founda- 
tion and  hair  and  feathers  or  wool  to  line  the  exquisite  little  home 
begins.  But  the  labor  is  done  cheerfully,  with  many  a  sally  in 
midair  either  to  let  off  superfluous  high  spirits  or  to  catch  a  morsel 
on  the  wing,  and  with  many  a  vivacious  outburst  of  what  by 
courtesy  only  we  may  name  a  song. 

71 


Dusky,  Gray,  and  Slate-colored 

When  not  domesticated,  as  these  birds  are  rapidly  becoming, 
the  phoebes  dearly  love  a  cool,  wet  woodland  retreat.  Here  they 
hunt  and  bathe  ;  here  they  also  build  in  a  rocky  bank  or  ledge  of 
rocks  or  underneath  a  bridge,  but  always  with  clever  adaptation 
of  their  nest  to  its  surroundings,  out  of  which  it  seems  a  natural 
growth.     It  is  one  of  the  most  finished,  beautiful  nests  ever  found. 

A  pair  of  phcEbes  become  attached  to  a  spot  where  they 
have  once  nested ;  they  never  stray  far  from  it,  and  return  to  it 
regularly,  though  they  may  not  again  occupy  the  old  nest.  This 
is  because  it  soon  becomes  infested  with  lice  from  the  hen's 
feathers  used  in  lining  it,  for  which  reason  too  close  relationship 
with  this  friendly  bird-neighbor  is  discouraged  by  thrifty  house- 
keepers. When  the  baby  birds  have  come  out  from  the  four  or 
six  little  white  eggs,  their  helpless  bodies  are  mercilessly  attacked 
by  parasites,  and  are  often  so  enfeebled  that  half  the  brood  die. 
The  next  reason  another  nest  will  be  built  near  the  first,  the  fol- 
lowing summer  still  another,  until  it  would  appear  that  a  colony 
of  birds  had  made  their  homes  in  the  place. 

Throughout  the  long  summer — for  as  the  phoebe  is  the  first 
flycatcher  to  come,  so  it  is  the  last  to  go — the  bird  is  a  tireless 
hunter  of  insects,  which  it  catches  on  the  wing  with  a  sharp  click 
of  its  beak,  like  the  other  members  of  its  dexterous  fomily. 

Say's  Phoebe  (Sayornis  soya)  is  the  Western  representative 
of  the  Eastern  species,  which  it  resembles  in  coloring  and  many 
of  its  habits.  It  is  the  bird  of  the  open  plains,  a  tireless  hunter 
in  midair  sallies  from  an  isolated  perch,  and  has  the  same  vibrat- 
ing motion  of  the  tail  that  the  Eastern  phoebe  indulges  in  when 
excited.  This  bird  differs  chiefly  in  its  lighter  coloring,  but  not 
in  habits,  from  the  black  pewee  of  the  Pacific  slope. 

Great-crested    Flycatcher 

(Myiarchus  crinitiis)  Flycatcher  family 

Called  also:  CRESTED   FLYCATCHER 

Length — 8.50  to  9  inches.     A  little  smaller  than  the  robin. 

Male  and  Female — Feathers  of  the  head  pointed  and  erect.  Upper 
parts  dark  grayish-olive,  inclining  to  rusty  brown  on  wings 
and  tail.  Wing  coverts  crossed  with  two  irregular  bars  of 
yellowish  white.     Throat  gray,  shading  into  sulphur-yellow 

72 


Dusky,  Gray,  and  Slate-colored 

underneath,  that  also  extends  under  the  wings.  Inner  vane 
of  several  tail  quills  rusty  red.     Bristles  at  base  of  bill. 

Jiange— From  Mexico,  Central  America,  and  West  Indies  north- 
ward to  southern  Canada  and  westward  to  the  plains.  Most 
common  in  Mississippi  basin  ;  common  also  in  eastern 
United  States,  south  of  New  England. 

Migrations — May.     September.     Common  summer  resident. 

The  most  dignified  and  handsomely  dressed  member  of  his 
family,  the  crested  flycatcher  has,  nevertheless,  an  air  of  pensive 
melancholy  about  him  when  in  repose  that  can  be  accounted  for 
only  by  the  pain  he  must  feel  every  time  he  hears  himself  screech. 
His  harsh,  shrill  call,  louder  and  more  disagreeable  than  the  king- 
bird's, cannot  but  rasp  his  ears  as  it  does  ours.  And  yet  it  is 
chiefly  by  this  piercing  note,  given  with  a  rising  inflection,  that 
we  know  the  bird  is  in  our  neighborhood  ;  for  he  is  somewhat  of 
a  recluse,  and  we  must  often  follow  the  disagreeable  noise  to  its 
source  in  the  tree-tops  before  we  can  catch  a  glimpse  of  the 
screecher.  Perched  on  a  high  lookout,  he  appears  morose  and 
sluggish,  in  spite  of  his  aristocratic-looking  crest,  trim  figure, 
and  feathers  that  must  seem  rather  gay  to  one  of  his  dusky 
tribe.  A  low  soliloquy,  apparently  born  of  discontent,  can  be 
overheard  from  the  foot  of  his  tree.  But  another  second,  and  he 
has  dashed  off  in  hot  pursuit  of  an  insect  flying  beyond  our  sight, 
and  with  extremely  quick,  dexterous  evolutions  in  midair,  he 
finishes  the  hunt  with  a  sharp  click  of  his  bill  as  it  closes  over  the 
unhappy  victim,  and  then  he  returns  to  his  perch.  On  the  wing 
he  is  exceedingly  active  and  joyous ;  in  the  tree  he  appears  just  the 
reverse.  That  he  is  a  domineering  fellow,  quite  as  much  of  a 
tyrant  as  the  notorious  kingbird,  that  bears  the  greater  burden  of 
opprobrium,  is  shown  in  the  fierce  way  he  promptly  dashes  at  a 
feathered  stranger  that  may  have  alighted  too  near  his  perch,  and 
pursues  it  beyond  the  bounds  of  justice,  all  the  while  screaming 
his  rasping  cry  into  the  intruder's  ears,  that  must  pierce  as  deep  as 
the  thrusts  from  his  relentless  beak.  He  has  even  been  known 
to  drive  off  woodpeckers  and  bluebirds  from  the  hollows  in  the 
trees  that  he,  like  them,  chooses  for  a  nest,  and  appropriate  the 
results  of  their  labor  for  his  scarcely  less  belligerent  mate.  With 
a  slight  but  important  and  indispensable  addition,  the  stolen 
nest  is  ready  to  receive  her  four  cream-colored  eggs,  that  look  as 
if  a  pen  dipped  in  purple  ink  had  been  scratched  over  them. 

73 


Dusky,  Gray,  and  Slate-colored 

The  fact  that  gives  the  great-crested  flycatcher  a  unique  in- 
terest among  all  North  American  birds  is  that  it  invariably  lines 
its  nest  with  snake-skins  if  one  can  be  had.  Science  would 
scarcely  be  worth  the  studying  if  it  did  not  set  our  imaginations 
to  work  delving  for  plausible  reasons  for  Nature's  strange  doings. 
Most  of  us  will  doubtless  agree  with  Wilson  (who  made  a  special 
study  of  these  interesting  nests  and  never  found  a  single  one 
without  cast  snake-skins  in  it,  even  in  districts  where  snakes 
were  so  rare  they  were  supposed  not  to  exist  at  all),  that  the 
lining  was  chosen  to  terrorize  all  intruders.  The  scientific 
mind  that  is  unwilling  to  dismiss  any  detail  of  Nature's  work  as 
merely  arbitrary  and  haphazard,  is  greatly  exercised  over  the 
reason  for  the  existence  of  crests  on  birds.  But,  surely,  may  not 
the  sight  of  snake-skins  that  first  greet  the  eyes  of  the  fledgling 
flycatchers  as  they  emerge  from  the  shell  be  a  good  and  sufficient 
reason  why  the  feathers  on  their  little  heads  should  stand  on 
end.?  "In  the  absence  of  a  snake-skin,  I  have  found  an  onion 
skin  and  shad  scales  in  the  nest,"  says  John  Burroughs,  who  calls 
this  bird  "the  wild  Irishman  of  the  flycatchers." 


Olive-sided   Flycatcher 

(Contopus  horealis)  Flycatcher  family 

Length — 7  to  7.5  inches.  About  an  inch  longer  than  the  English 
sparrow. 

Male  and  Female — Dusky  olive  or  grayish  brown  above;  head 
darkest.  Wings  and  tail  blackish  brown,  the  former  some- 
times, but  not  always,  margined  and  tipped  with  dusky 
white.  Throat  yellowish  white  ;  other  under  parts  slightly 
lighter  shade  than  above.  Olive-gray  on  sides.  A  tuft  of 
yellowish-white,  downy  feathers  on  flanks.  Bristles  at  base 
of  bill. 

Range — From    Labrador  to    Panama.      Winters   in   the  tropics. 

Nests  usually  north  of  United  States,  but  it  also  breeds  in  the 
I  Catskills. 

Migrations — May.     September,     Resident  only  in  northern  part 

of  its  range. 

Only  in  the  migrations  may  people  south  of  Massachusetts 
hope  to  see  this  flycatcher,  which  can  be  distinguished  from  the 
rest  of  its  kin  by  the  darker  under  parts,  and  by  the  fluffy,  yel- 

74 


Dusky,  Gray,  and  Slate-colored 

lowish-white  tufts  of  feathers  on  its  flanks.  Its  habits  have  the 
family  characteristics:  It  takes  its  food  on  the  wing,  suddenly 
sallying  forth  from  its  perch,  darting  about  midair  to  seize  its 
prey,  then  as  suddenly  returning  to  its  identical  point  of  vantage, 
usually  in  some  distended,  dead  limb  in  the  tree-top;  it  is  pug- 
nacious, bold,  and  tyrannical;  mopish  and  inert  when  not  on  the 
hunt,  but  wonderfully  alert  and  swift  when  in  pursuit  of  insect 
or  feathered  foe.  The  short  necks  of  the  flycatchers  make  their 
heads  appear  large  for  their  bodies,  a  peculiarity  slightly  em- 
phasized in  this  member  of  the  family. 

High  up  in  some  evergreen  tree,  well  out  on  a  branch,  over 
which  the  shapeless  mass  of  twigs  and  moss  that  serves  as  a 
nest  is  saddled,  four  or  five  buff-speckled  eggs  are  laid,  and  by 
some  special  dispensation  rarely  fall  out  of  their  insecure  cradle. 
A  sharp,  loud  whistle,  wheu — o-wheu-o-wheu-o,  rings  out  from  the 
throat  of  this  olive-sided  tyrant,  warning  all  intruders  off  the 
premises  ;  but  however  harshly  he  may  treat  the  rest  of  the 
feathered  world,  he  has  only  gentle  devotion  to  offer  his  brooding 
mate. 

Least  Flycatcher 

(Empidonax  minimus)  Flycatcher  family 

Called  also:  CHE  BEG 

Length — 5  to  5.5  inches.  About  an  inch  smaller  than  the  English 
sparrow. 

Male — Gray  or  olive-gray  above,  paler  on  wings  and  lower  part 
of  back,  and  a  more  distinct  olive-green  on  head.  Under- 
neath grayish  white,  sometimes  faintly  suffused  with  pale 
yellow.  Wings  have  whitish  bars.  White  eye-ring.  Lower 
half  of  bill  horn-color. 

Female — Is  slightly  more  yellowish  underneath. 

Range — Eastern  North  America,  from  tropics  northward  to  Quebec. 

Migrations — May.     September.     Common  summer  resident. 

This,  the  smallest  member  of  its  family,  takes  the  place  of 
the  more  southerly  Acadian  flycatcher,  throughout  New  England 
and  the  region  of  the  Great  Lakes.  But,  unlike  his  Southern  rela- 
tive, he  prefers  orchards  and  gardens  close  to  our  homes  for  his 
hunting  grounds  rather  than  the  wet  recesses  of  the  forests. 
Che-bec,  che-hec,  the  diminutive  olive-pated  gray  sprite  calls  out 

75 


Dusky.  Gray,  and  Slate-colored 

from  the  orchard  between  his  aerial  sallies  after  the  passing  insects 
that  have  been  attracted  by  the  decaying  fruit,  and  chebec  is  the 
name  by  which  many  New  Englanders  know  him. 

While  giving  this  characteristic  call-note,  with  drooping, 
jerking  tail,  trembling  wings,  and  uplifted  parti-colored  bill,  he 
looks  unnerved  and  limp  by  the  effort  it  has  cost  him.  But  in 
the  next  instant  a  gnat  flies  past.  How  quickly  the  bird  recovers 
itself,  and  charges  full-tilt  at  his  passing  dinner!  The  sharp  click 
of  his  little  bill  proves  that  he  has  not  missed  his  aim ;  and  after 
careering  about  in  the  air  another  minute  or  two,  looking  for 
more  game  to  snap  up  on  the  wing,  he  will  return  to  the  same 
perch  and  take  up  his  familiar  refrain.  Without  hearing  this  call- 
note  one  might  often  mistake  the  bird  for  either  the  wood  pewee 
or  the  phcebe,  for  all  the  three  are  similarly  clothed  and  have 
many  traits  in  common.  The  slightly  larger  size  of  the  phoebe 
and  pewee  is  not  always  apparent  when  they  are  seen  perching 
on  the  trees.  Unlike  the  "tuft  of  hay"  to  which  the  Acadian 
flycatcher's  nest  has  been  likened,  the  least  flycatcher's  home  is 
a  neat,  substantial  cup-shaped  cradle  softly  lined  with  down  or 
horsehair,  and  placed  generally  in  an  upright  crotch  of  a  tree,  well 
above  the  ground. 

The  Chickadee 

(Parus  atricapilhis)  Titmouse  family 

Called  also :  BLACK-CAPPED   TITMOUSE  ;   BLACK-CAP  TIT 

Length — 5  to  5.5  inches.  About  an  inch  smaller  than  the  English 
sparrow. 

Male  and  Female — Not  crested.  Crown  and  nape  and  throat 
black.  Above  gray,  slightly  tinged  with  brown.  A  white 
space,  beginning  at  base  of  bill,  extends  backwards,  widen- 
ing over  cheeks  and  upper  part  of  breast,  forming  a  sort  of 
collar  that  almost  surrounds  neck.  Underneath  dirty  white, 
with  pale  rusty-brown  wash  on  sides.  Wings  and  tail  gray, 
with  white  edgings.     Plumage  downy. 

Range — Eastern  North  America.  North  of  the  Carolinas  to  Lab- 
rador.    Does  not  migrate  in  the  North. 

Migrations — Late  September.  May.  Winter  resident ;  perma- 
nent resident  in  northern  parts  of  the  United  States. 

No  "fair  weather  friend  "  is  the  jolly  little  chickadee.  In  the 
depth  of  the  autumn  equinoctial  storm  it  returns  to  the  tops  of 

76 


Dusky,  Gray,  and  Slate-colored 

the  trees  close  by  the  house,  where,  through  the  sunshine,  snow, 
and  tempest  of  the  entire  winter,  you  may  hear  its  cheery, 
irrepressible  chickadee-dee- dee-dee  or  day-day-day  as  it  swings 
around  the  dangling  cones  of  the  evergreens.  It  fairly  over- 
flows with  good  spirits,  and  is  never  more  contagiously  gay  than 
in  a  snowstorm.  So  active,  so  friendly  and  cheering,  what 
would  the  long  northern  winters  be  like  without  this  lovable  little 
neighbor  } 

It  serves  a  more  utilitarian  purpose,  however,  than  bracing 
faint-hearted  spirits.  "There  is  no  bird  that  compares  with  it  in 
destroying  the  female  canker-worm  moths  and  their  eggs,"  writes 
a  well-known  entomologist.  He  calculates  that  as  a  chickadee 
destroys  about  5,500  eggs  in  one  day,  it  will  eat  138,750  eggs  in 
the  twenty-five  days  it  takes  the  canker-worm  moth  to  crawl  up 
the  trees.  The  moral  that  it  pays  to  attract  chickadees  about 
your  home  by  feeding  them  in  winter  is  obvious.  Mrs.  Mabel 
Osgood  Wright,  in  her  delightful  and  helpful  book  "Birdcraft," 
tells  us  how  she  makes  a  sort  of  a  bird-hash  of  finely  minced  raw 
meat,  waste  canary-seed,  buckwheat,  and  cracked  oats,  which 
she  scatters  in  a  sheltered  spot  for  all  the  winter  birds.  The 
way  this  is  consumed  leaves  no  doubt  of  its  popularity.  A  raw 
bone,  hung  from  an  evergreen  limb,  is  equally  appreciated. 

Friendly  as  the  chickadee  is — and  Dr.  Abbott,  declares  it  the 
tamest  bird  we  have — it  prefers  well-timbered  districts,  especially 
where  there  are  red-bud  trees,  when  it  is  time  to  nest.  It  is  very 
often  clever  enough  to  leave  the  labor  of  hollowing  out  a  nest  in 
the  tree-trunk  to  the  woodpecker  or  nuthatch,  whose  old  homes 
it  readily  appropriates  ;  or,  when  these  birds  object,  a  knot-hole 
or  a  hollow  fence-rail  answers  every  purpose.  Here,  in  the  sum- 
mer woods,  when  fimiily  cares  beset  it,  a  plaintive,  minor  whistle 
replaces  the  chickadee-dee-dee  that  Thoreau  likens  to  "silver  tink- 
ling "  as  he  heard  it  on  a  frosty  morning. 

"  Piped  a  tiny  voice  near  by, 
Gay  and  polite,  a  ciieerful  cry — 
Chick-chickadeedee  !  saucy  note 
Out  of  sound  heart  and  merry  throat, 
As  if  it  said,  *  Good-day,  good  Sir  ! 
Fine  afternoon,  old  passenger  ! 
Happy  to  meet  you  in  these  places 
Where  January  brings  few  faces.'  " 

— Emerson. 

77 


Dusky,  Gray,  and  Slate-colored 


Tufted  Titmouse 

{Parus  hicolor)  Titmouse  family 

C^//^^a/5^.-  CRESTED  TITMOUSE;    CRESTED  TOMTIT 

Length — 6  to  6.5  inches.     About  the  size  of  the  English  sparrow. 

Male  and  Female — Crest  high  and  pointed.  Leaden  or  ash-gray 
above;  darkest  on  wings  and  tail.  Frontlet,  bill,  and  shoul- 
ders black;  space  between  eyes  gray.  Sides  of  head  dull 
white.  Under  parts  light  gray;  sides  yellowish,  tinged  with 
red. 

Range — United  States  east  of  plains,  and  only  rarely  seen  so  far 
north  as  New  England. 

Migrations — October.  April.  Winter  resident,  but  also  found 
throughout  the  year  in  many  States. 

"A  noisy  titmouse  is  Jack  Frost's  trumpeter"  may  be  one 
of  those  few  weather-wise  proverbs  with  a  grain  of  truth  in  them. 
As  the  chickadee  comes  from  the  woods  with  the  frost,  so  it  may 
be  noticed  his  cousin,  the  crested  titmouse,  is  in  more  noisy  evi- 
dence throughout  the  winter. 

One  might  sometimes  think  his  whistle,  like  a  tugboat's, 
worked  by  steam.  But  how  effectually  nesting  cares  alone  can 
silence  it  in  April ! 

Titmice  always  see  to  it  you  are  not  lonely  as  you  walk 
through  the  woods.  This  lordly  tomtit,  with  his  jaunty  crest, 
keeps  up  a  persistent  whistle  at  you  as  he  flits  from  tree  to  tree, 
leading  you  deeper  into  the  forest,  calling  out  "  Here-here-here!" 
and  looking  like  a  pert  and  jaunty  little  blue  jay,  minus  his  gay 
clothes.  Mr.  Nehrling  translates  one  of  the  calls  "  Heedle-dee- 
dle-dee-dle-dee  !  "  and  another  ' '  Peto-peto-peto-daytee-daytee  !  " 
But  it  is  at  the  former,  sharply  whistled  as  the  crested  titmouse 
gives  it,  that  every  dog  pricks  up  his  ears. 

Comparatively  little  has  been  written  about  this  bird,  because 
it  is  not  often  found  in  New  England,  where  most  of  the  bird 
litterateurs  have  lived.  South  of  New  York  State,  however,  it  is 
a  common  resident,  and  much  respected  for  the  good  work  it 
does  in  destroying  injurious  insects,  though  it  is  more  fond  of 
varying  its  diet  with  nuts,  berries,  and  seeds  than  that  all-round 
benefactor,  the  chickadee. 

78 


Dusky,  Gray,  and  Slate-colored  ' 

Canada  Jay 

(Perisoreus  canadensis)  Crow  and  Jay  family 

Called  also:  WHISKY  JACK  OR  JOHN;  MOOSE-BLRD;  MEAT- 
BIRD;  VENISON  HERON;  GREASE-BIRD;  CANADIAN 
CARRION-BIRD;  CAMP  ROBBER 

Length— \  i  to  12  inches.     About  two  inches  larger  than  the  robin. 

Male  and  Female — Upper  parts  gray;  darkest  on  wings  and  tail; 
back  of  the  head  and  nape  of  the  neck  sooty,  almost  black. 
Forehead,  throat,  and  neck  white,  and  a  few  white  tips  on 
wings  and  tail.  Underneath  lighter  gray.  Tail  long.  Plu- 
mage fluffy. 

^ange — Northern  parts  of  the  United  States  and  British  provinces 
of  North  America. 

Migrations — Resident  where  found. 

The  Canada  jay  looks  like  an  exaggerated  chickadee,  and 
both  birds  are  equally  fond  of  bitter  cold  weather,  but  here  the 
similarity  stops  short.  Where  the  chickadee  is  friendly  the  jay  is 
impudent  and  bold;  hardly  less  of  a  villain  than  his  blue  relative 
when  it  comes  to  marauding  other  birds'  nests  and  destroying 
their  young.  With  all  his  vices,  however,  intemperance  cannot 
be  attributed  to  him,  in  spite  of  the  name  given  him  by  the  Adi- 
rondack lumbermen  and  guides.  "Whisky  John"  is  a  purely 
innocent  corruption  of  "  Wis-ka-tjon,"  as  the  Indians  call  this 
bird  that  haunts  their  camps  and  familiarly  enters  their  wigwams. 
The  numerous  popular  names  by  which  the  Canada  jays  are 
known  are  admirably  accounted  for  by  Mr.  Hardy  in  a  bulletin 
issued  by  the  Smithsonian  Institution. 

"They  will  enter  the  tents,  and  often  alight  on  the  bow  of  a 
canoe,  where  the  paddle  at  every  stroke  comes  within  eighteen 
inches  of  them.  I  know  nothing  which  can  be  eaten  that  they 
will  not  take,  and  I  had  one  steal  all  my  candles,  pulling  them 
out  endwise,  one  by  one,  from  a  piece  of  birch  bark  in  which 
they  were  rolled,  and  another  peck  a  large  hole  in  a  keg  of  cas- 
tile  soap.  A  duck  which  I  had  picked  and  laid  down  for  a  few 
minutes,  had  the  entire  breast  eaten  out  by  one  or  more  of  these 
birds.  I  have  seen  one  alight  in  the  middle  of  my  canoe  and 
peck  away  at  the  carcass  of  a  beaver  I  had  skinned.  They  often 
spoil  deer  saddles  by  pecking  into  them  near  the  kidneys.     They 

79 


Dusky,  Gray,  and  Slate-colored 

do  great  damage  to  the  trappers  by  stealing  the  bait  from  traps 
set  for  martens  and  minks  and  by  eating  trapped  game.  They 
will  sit  quietly  and  see  you  build  a  log  trap  and  bait  it,  and  then, 
almost  before  your  back  is  turned,  you  hear  their  hateful  ca-ca-ca! 
as  they  glide  down  and  peer  into  it.  They  will  work  steadily, 
carrying  off  meat  and  hiding  it.  I  have  thYown  out  pieces,  and 
watched  one  to  see  how  much  he  would  carry  off  He  flew 
across  a  wide  stream,  and  in  a  short  time  looked  as  bloody  as  a 
butcher  from  carrying  large  pieces;  but  his  patience  held  out 
longer  than  mine.  1  think  one  would  work  as  long  as  Mark 
Twain's  California  jay  did  trying  to  fill  a  miner's  cabin  with 
acorns  through  a  knot-hole  in  the  roof  They  are  fond  of  the 
berries  of  the  mountain  ash,  and,  in  fact,  few  things  come  amiss;  I 
believe  they  do  not  possess  a  single  good  quality  except  industry." 
One  virtue  not  mentioned  by  Mr.  Hardy  is  their  prudent  saving 
from  the  summer  surplus  to  keep  the  winter  storeroom  well  sup- 
plied like  a  squirrel's.  Such  thrift  is  the  more  necessary  when  a 
clamorous,  hungry  family  of  young  jays  must  be  reared  while  the 
thermometer  is  often  as  low  as  thirty  degrees  below  zero  at  the 
end  of  March.  How  eggs  are  ever  hatched  at  all  in  a  tempera- 
ture calculated  to  freeze  any  sitting  bird  stiff,  is  one  of  the  mys- 
teries of  the  woods.  And  yet  four  or  five  fluffy  little  jays,  that 
look  as  if  they  were  dressed  in  gray  fur,  emerge  from  the  eggs 
before  the  spring  sunshine  has  unbound  the  icy  rivers  or  melted 
the  snowdrifts  piled  high  around  the  evergreens. 


Catbird 

(Galeoscoptes  carolinensis)  Mocking-bird  family 

Called  also  :  ^LACK-CK??EX^  THRUSH 

Length — 9  inches.     An  inch  shorter  than  the  robin. 

Male  and  Female — Dark  slate  above;  below  somewhat  paler;  top 

of  head  black.     Distinct  chestnut  patch  under  the  tail,  which 

is  black;  feet  and  bill  black  also.     Wings  short,  more  than 

two  inches  shorter  than  the  tail. 
Range — British  provinces  to  Mexico;  west  to  Rocky  Mountains, 

rarely  to  Pacific  coast.     Winters  in  Southern  States,  Central 

America,  and  Cuba. 
Migrations — May.     November.     Common  summer  resident. 

80 


MOCKINGBIRD 


Dusky,  Gray,  and  Slate-colored 

Our  familiar  catbird,  of  all  the  feathered  tribe,  presents  the 
most  contrary  characteristics,  and  is  therefore  held  in  varied  esti- 
mation— loved,  admired,  ridiculed,  abused.  He  is  the  veriest 
"Dr.  Jekyll  and  Mr.  Hyde"  of  birds.  Exquisitely  proportioned, 
with  finely  poised  black  head  and  satin-gray  coat,  which  he 
bathes  most  carefully  and  prunes  and  prinks  by  the  hour,  he  ap- 
pears from  his  toilet  a  Beau  Brummell,  an  aristocratic-looking, 
even  dandified  neighbor.  Suddenly,  as  if  shot,  he  drops  head 
and  tailand  assumes  the  most  hang-dog  air,  without  the  least 
sign  of  self-respect ;  then  crouches  and  lengthens  into  a  roll,  head 
forward  and  tail  straightened,  till  he  looks  like  a  little,  short  gray 
snake,  lank  and  limp.  Anon,  with  a  jerk  and  a  sprint,  every 
muscle  tense,  tail  erect,  eyes  snapping,  he  darts  into  the  air  intent 
upon  some  well-planned  mischief.  It  is  impossible  to  describe 
his  various  attitudes  or  moods.  In  song  and  call  he  presents  the 
same  opposite  characteristics.  How  such  a  bird,  exquisite  in 
style,  can  demean  himself  to  utter  such  harsh,  altogether  hateful 
catcalls  and  squawks  as  have  given  the  bird  his  common  name, 
is  a  wonder  when  in  the  next  moment  his  throat  swells  and  be- 
ginning phut-phit-coquillkot,  he  gives  forth  a  long  glorious  song, 
only  second  to  that  of  the  wood  thrush  in  melody.  He  is  a  jes- 
ter, a  caricaturist,  a  mocking-bird. 

The  catbird's  nest  is  like  a  veritable  scrap-basket,  loosely 
woven  of  coarse  twigs,  bits  of  newspaper,  scraps,  and  rags,  till 
this  rough  exterior  is  softly  lined  and  made  fit  to  receive  the  four 
to  six  pretty  dark  green-blue  eggs  to  be  laid  therein. 

As  a  fruit  thief  hcirsh  epithets  are  showered  upon  the  friendly, 
confiding  little  creature  at  our  doors;  but  surely  his  depredations 
may  be  pardoned,  for  he  is  industrious  at  all  times  and  unusually 
adroit  in  catching  insects,  especially  in  the  moth  stage. 

The  Mocking-bird 

((Mimus  polyglottus)  Mocking-bird  family 

Length — 9  to  10  inches.     About  the  size  of  the  robin. 

Male  and  Female — Gray  above;  wings  and  wedge-shaped  tail 
brownish;  upper  wing  feathers  tipped  with  white;  outer 
tail  quills  white,  conspicuous  in  flight;  chin  white;  under- 
neath light  gray,  shading  to  whitish. 

Jiange — Peculiar  to  torrid  and  temperate  zones  of  two  Americas. 

Migrations — No  fixed  migrations ;  usually  resident  where  seen. 

81 


Dusky,  Gray,  and  Slate-colored 

North  of  Delaware  this  commonest  of  Southern  birds  is  all 
too  rarely  seen  outside  of  cages,  yet  even  in  midwinter  it  is  not 
unknown  in  Central  Park,  New  York.  This  is  the  angel  that 
it  is  said  the  catbird  was  before  he  fell  from  grace.  Slim,  neat, 
graceful,  imitative,  amusing,  with  a  rich,  tender  song  that  only 
the  thrush  can  hope  to  rival,  and  with  an  instinctive  preference 
for  the  society  of  man,  it  is  little  wonder  he  is  a  favorite,  caged 
or  free.  He  is  a  most  devoted  parent,  too,  when  the  four  or  six 
speckled  green  eggs  have  produced  as  many  mouths  to  be  sup- 
plied with  insects  and  berries. 

In  the  Connecticut  Valley,  where  many  mocking-birds'  nests 
have  been  found,  year  after  year,  they  are  all  seen  near  the 
ground,  and  without  exception  are  loosely,  poorly  constructed 
affairs  of  leaves,  feathers,  grass,  and  even  rags. 

With  all  his  virtues,  it  must  be  added,  however,  that  this 
charming  bird  is  a  sad  tease.  There  is  no  sound,  whether  made 
by  bird  or  beast  about  him,  that  he  cannot  imitate  so  clearly  as 
to  deceive  every  one  but  himself  Very  rarely  can  you  find  a 
mocking-bird  without  intelligence  and  mischief  enough  to  appre- 
ciate his  ventriloquism.  In  Sidney  Lanier's  college  note-book 
was  found  written  this  reflection:  "A  poet  is  the  mocking-bird 
of  the  spiritual  universe.  In  him  are  collected  all  the  individual 
songs  of  all  individual  natures."  Later  in  life,  with  the  same 
thought  in  mind,  he  referred  to  the  bird  as  "yon  slim  Shakespeare 
on  the  tree."  His  exquisite  stanzas,  "To  Our  Mocking-bird," 
exalt  the  singer  with  the  immortals  : 


"  Trillets  of  humor, — shrewdest  whistle-wit — 
Contralto  cadences  of  grave  desire, 
Such  as  from  off  the  passionate  Indian  pyre 
Drift  down  through  sandal-odored  flames  that  split 
About  the  slim  young  widow,  who  doth  sit 
And  sing  above, — midnights  of  tone  entire, — 
Tissues  of  moonlight,  shot  with  songs  of  fire  ; — 
Bright  drops  of  tune,  from  oceans  infinite 
Of  melody,  sipped  off  the  thin-edged  wave 
And  trickling  down  the  beak, — discourses  brave 
Of  serious  matter  that  no  man  may  guess, — 
Good-fellow  greetings,  cries  of  light  distress — 
All  these  but  now  within  the  house  we  heard  : 
O  Death,  wast  thou  too  deaf  to  hear  the  bird? 


82 


Dusky,  Gray,  and  Slate-colored 


Nay,  Bird  ;    my  griel  gainsays  the  Lord's  best  right. 
The  Lord  was  fain,  at  some  late  festal  time, 
That  Keats  should  set  all  heaven's  woods  in  rhyme, 
And  Thou  in  bird-notes.     Lo,  this  tearful  night 
Methinks  I  see  thee,  fresh  from  Death's  despite, 
Perched  in  a  palm-grove,  wild  with  pantomime 
O'er  blissful  companies  couched  in  shady  thyme. 
Methinks  I  hear  thy  silver  whistlings  bright 
Meet  with  the  mighty  discourse  of  the  wise, — 
'Till  broad  Beethoven,  deaf  no  more,  and  Keats, 
'Midst  of  much  talk,  uplift  their  smiling  eyes 
And  mark  the  music  of  thy  wood-conceits, 
And  half-way  pause  on  some  large  courteous  word, 
And  call  thee  '  Brother,'  O  thou  heavenly  Bird  !  " 


Junco 

(Jimco  hyemalis)  Finch  family 

Called  also:   SNOWBIRD;    SLATE-COLORED  SNOWBIRD 

Length — 5.5  to  6.5  inches.    About  the  size  of  the  English  sparrow. 
Male — Upper  parts  slate-colored ;  darkest  on  head  and  neck,  which 

are  sometimes  almost  black  and  marked  like  a  cowl.     Gray 

on  breast,  like  a  vest.     Underneath  white.     Several  outer  tail 

feathers  white,  conspicuous  in  flight. 
Female — Lighter  gray,  inclining  to  brown. 
Range — North  America.    Not  common  in  warm  latitudes.     Breeds 

in  the  Catskills  and  northern  New  England. 
Migrations — September.     April.     Winter  resident. 

"Leaden  skies  above;  snow  below,"  is  Mr.  Parkhurst's  sug- 
gestive description  of  this  rather  timid  little  neighbor,  that  is  only 
starved  into  familiarity.  When  the  snow  has  buried  seed  and 
berries,  a  flock  of  juncos,  mingling  sociably  with  the  sparrows 
and  chickadees  about  the  kitchen  door,  will  pick  up  scraps  of 
food  with  an  intimacy  quite  touching  in  a  bird  naturally  rather 
shy.  Here  we  can  readily  distinguish  these  "little  gray-robed 
monks  and  nuns,"  as  Miss  Florence  Merriam  calls  them. 

They  are  trim,  sprightly,  sleek,  and  even  natty;  their  disposi- 
tions are  genial  and  vivacious,  not  quarrelsome,  like  their  sparrow 
cousins,  and  what  is  perhaps  best  about  them,  they  are  birds  we 
may  surely  depend  upon  seeing  in  the  winter  months.  A  few 
come  forth   in   September,  migrating   at   night  from   the   deep 


Dusky,  Gray,  and  Slate-colored 

woods  of  the  north,  where  they  have  nested  and  moulted  during 
the  summer  ;  but  not  until  frost  has  sharpened  the  air  are  large 
numbers  of  them  seen.  Rejoicing  in  winter,  they  nevertheless 
do  not  revel  in  the  deep  and  fierce  arctic  blasts,  as  the  snowflakes 
do,  but  take  good  care  to  avoid  the  open  pastures  before  the  hard 
storms  overtake  them. 

Early  in  the  spring  their  song  is  sometimes  heard  before  they 
leave  us  to  woo  and  to  nest  in  the  north.  Mr.  Bicknell  describes 
it  as  "a  crisp  call-note,  a  simple  trill,  and  a  faint,  whispered 
warble,  usually  much  broken,  but  not  without  sweetness." 

White-breasted   Nuthatch 

(Sitta  carolinensis)  Nuthatch  fomily 

Called  also:  TREE-MOUSE;   DEVIL  DOWNHEAD 

Length — 5.5  to  6  inches.    A  trifle  smaller  than  the  English  sparrow. 

Male  and  Female — Upper  parts  slate-color.  Top  of  head  and  nape 
black.  Wings  dark  slate,  edged  with  black,  that  fades  to 
brown.  Tail  feathers  brownish  black,  with  white  bars. 
Sides  of  head  and  underneath  white,  shading  to  pale  reddish 
under  the  tail.  (Female's  head  leaden.)  Body  flat  and  com- 
pact.    Bill  longer  than  head. 

Range — British  provinces  to  Mexico.     Eastern  United  States. 

Migrations — October.  April.  Common  resident.  Most  promi- 
nent in  winter. 

"  Shrewd  little  haunter  of  woods  all  gray, 
Whom  I  meet  on  my  walk  of  a  winter  day — 
You're  busy  inspecting  each  cranny  and  hole 
In  the  ragged  bark  of  yon  hickory  bole  ; 
You  intent  on  your  task,  and  I  on  the  law 
Of  your  wonderful  head  and  gymnastic  claw  ! 

The  woodpecker  well  may  despair  of  this  feat — 
Only  the  fly  with  you  can  compete  ! 
So  much  is  clear ;  but  I  fain  would  know 
How  you  can  so  reckless  and  fearless  go, 
Head  upward,  head  downward,  all  one  to  you, 
Zenith  and  nadir  the  same  in  your  view  ?  " 

—Edith  M.   Thomas. 

Could  a  dozen  lines  well  contain  a  fuller  description  or  more 
apt  characterization  of  a  bird  than  these  "  To  a  Nuthatch  "  ? 

84 


WHITE-BREASTED  NUTHATCH 


Dusky,  Gray,  and  Slate-colored 

With  more  artless  inquisitiveness  than  fear,  this  lively  little 
acrobat  stops  his  hammering  or  hatcheting  at  your  approach,  and 
stretching  himself  out  from  the  tree  until  it  would  seem  he  must 
fall  off,  he  peers  down  at  you,  head  downward,  straight  into 
your  upturned  opera-glasses.  If  there  is  too  much  snow  on  the 
upper  side  of  a  branch,  watch  how  he  runs  along  underneath  it 
like  a  fly,  busily  tapping  the  bark,  or  adroitly  breaking  the  de- 
cayed bits  with  his  bill,  as  he  searches  for  the  spider's  eggs, 
larvae,  etc.,  hidden  there;  yet  somehow,  between  mouthfuls, 
managing  to  call  out  his  cheery  qiiank  !  qitank  !  hank  !  hank  ! 

Titmice  and  nuthatches,  which  have  many  similar  charac- 
teristics, are  often  seen  in  the  most  friendly  hunting  parties  on 
the  same  tree.  A  pine  woods  is  their  dearest  delight.  There,  as 
the  mercury  goes  down,  their  spirits  only  seem  to  go  up  higher. 
In  the  spring  they  have  been  thought  by  many  to  migrate  in 
fiocks,  whereas  they  are  only  retreating  with  their  relations  away 
from  the  haunts  of  men  to  the  deep,  cool  woods,  where  they 
nest.  With  infinite  patience  the  nuthatch  excavates  a  hole  in  a 
tree,  lining  it  with  feathers  and  moss,  and  often  depositing  as 
many  as  ten  white  eggs  (speckled  with  red  and  lilac)  for  a  single 
brood. 

Red-breasted  Nuthatch 

(Sitta  canadensis)  Nuthatch  family 

Called  also:  CANADA   NUTHATCH 

Length — 4  to  4.7s  inches.     One-third   smaller  than  the  English 

sparrow. 
Male — Lead-colored  above;  brownish  on  wings  and  tail.     Head, 

neck,    and   stripe  passing  through  eye  to   shoulder,   black. 

Frontlet,  chin,  and  shoulders  white;  also  a  white  stripe  over 

eye,  meeting  on  brow.     Under  parts  light,  rusty  red.     Tail 

feathers  barred  with  white  near  end,  and  tipped  with  pale 

brown. 
Female — Has  crown  of  brownish  black,   and  is  lighter  beneath 

than  male. 
Range — Northern  parts  of  North  America.     Not  often  seen  south 

of  the  most  northerly  States. 
Migrations-^'^Q,vtva\)tx.     April.     Winter  resident. 

The  brighter  coloring  of  this  tiny,  hardy  bird  distinguishes 
it  from  the  other  and  larger  nuthatch,  with  whom  it  is  usually 

85 


Dusky,  Gray,  and  Slate-colored 

seen,  for  the  winter  birds  have  a  delightfully  social  manner,  so 
that  a  colony  of  these  Free  masons  is  apt  to  contain  not  only  both 
kinds  of  nuthatches  and  chickadees,  but  kinglets  and  brown 
creepers  as  well.  It  shares  the  family  habit  of  walking  about  the 
trees,  head  downward,  and  running  along  the  under  side  of  limbs 
like  a  fly.  By  Thanksgiving  Day  the  quank!  quank!  of  the 
white-breasted  species  is  answered  by  the  tai-tai-tait !  of  the  red- 
breasted  cousin  in  the  orchard,  where  the  family  party  is  cele- 
brating with  an  elaborate  menu  of  slugs,  insects'  eggs,  and  oily 
seeds  from  the  evergreen  trees. 

For  many  years  this  nuthatch,  a  more  northern  species  than 
the  white-breasted  bird,  was  thought  to  be  only  a  spring  and 
autumn  visitor,  but  latterly  it  is  credited  with  habits  like  its 
congener's  in  nearly  every  particular. 

Loggerhead  Shrike 

(Lanius  liidovicianus)  Shrike  family 

Length — 8. 5  to  9  inches.     A  little  smaller  than  the  robin. 

Male  and  Female — Upper  parts  gray  ;  narrow  black  line  across 
forehead,  connecting  small  black  patches  on  sides  of  head  at 
base  of  bill.  Wings  and  tail  black,  plentifully  marked  with 
white,  the  outer  tail  feathers  often  being  entirely  white  and 
conspicuous  in  flight.  Underneath  white  or  very  light  gray. 
Bill  hooked  and  hawk-like. 

Range — Eastern  United  States  to  the  plains. 

Migrations — May.     October.     Summer  resident. 

It  is  not  easy,  even  at  a  slight  distance,  to  distinguish  the 
loggerhead  from  the  Northern  shrike.  Both  have  the  pernicious 
habit  of  killing  insects  and  smaller  birds  and  impaling  them  on 
thorns;  both  have  the  peculiarity  of  flying,  with  strong,  vigorous 
flight  and  much  wing-flapping,  close  along  the  ground,  then 
suddenly  rising  to  a  tree,  on  the  lookout  for  prey.  Their  harsh, 
unmusical  call-notes  are  similar  too,  and  their  hawk-like  method 
of  dropping  suddenly  upon  a  victim  on  the  ground  below  is  iden- 
tical. Indeed,  the  same  description  very  nearly  answers  for  both 
birds.  But  there  is  one  very  important  difference.  While  the 
Northern  shrike  is  a  winter  visitor,  the  loggerhead,  being  his  South- 
ern counterpart,  does  not  arrive  until  after  the  frost  is  out  of  the 
ground,  and  he  can  be  sure  of  a  truly  warm  welcome.     A  lesser 

86 


I/J 


SHRIKE 


Dusky,  Gray,  and  Slate-colored 

distinction  between  the  only  two  representatives  of  the  shrii<:e 
family  that  frequent  our  neighborhood— and  they  are  two  too 
many— is  in  the  smaller  size  of  the  loggerhead  and  its  Ughter-gray 
plumage.  But  as  both  these  birds  select  some  high,  commanding 
position,  like  a  distended  branch  near  the  tree-top,  a  cupola, 
house-peak,  lightning-rod,  telegraph  wire,  or  weather-vane,  the 
better  to  detect  a  passing  dinner,  it  would  be  quite  impossible  at 
such  a  distance  to  know  which  shrike  was  sitting  up  there 
silently  plotting  villainies,  without  remembering  the  season  when 
each  may  be  expected. 


Northern  Shrike 

(Lanius  horealis)  Shrike  family 

Called  also:  BUTCHER-BIRD;  NINE-KILLER 

Length— ().^  to  10.5  inches.     About  the  size  of  the  robin. 

Male — Upper  parts  slate-gray;  wing  quills  and  tail  black,  edged 
and  tipped  with  white,  conspicuous  in  flight;  a  white  spot 
on  centre  of  outer  wing  feathers.  A  black  band  runs  from 
bill,  through  eye  to  side  of  throat.  Light  gray  below,  tinged 
with  brownish,  and  faintly  marked  with  waving  lines  of 
darker  gray.     Bill  hooked  and  hawk-like. 

Female — With  eye-band  more  obscure  than  male's,  and  with 
more  distinct  brownish  cast  on  her  plumage. 

Eange — Northern  North  America.  South  in  winter  to  middle 
portion  of  United  States. 

Migrations — November.     April.     A  roving  winter  resident. 

"  Matching  the  bravest  of  the  brave  among  birds  of  prey  in 
deeds  of  daring,  and  no  less  relentless  than  reckless,  the  shrike 
compels  that  sort  of  deference,  not  unmixed  with  indignation,  we 
are  accustomed  to  accord  to  creatures  of  seeming  insignificance 
whose  exploits  demand  much  strength,  great  spirit,  and  insatiate 
love  for  carnage.  We  cannot  be  indifferent  to  the  marauder  who 
takes  his  own  wherever  he  finds  it — a  feudal  baron  who  holds 
his  own  with  undisputed  sway — and  an  ogre  whose  victims  are 
so  many  more  than  he  can  eat,  that  he  actually  keeps  a  private 
graveyard  for  the  balance."  Who  is  honestly  able  to  give  the 
shrikes  a  better  character  than  Dr.  Coues,  just  quoted?  A  few 
offer  them  questionable  defence  by  recording  the  large  numbers 

87 


Dusky,  Gray,  and  Slate-colored 

of  English  sparrows  they  kill  in  a  season,  as  if  wanton  carnage 
were  ever  justifiable. 

Not  even  a  hawk  itself  can  produce  the  consternation  among 
a  flock  of  sparrows  that  the  harsh,  rasping  voice  of  the  butcher- 
bird creates,  for  escape  they  well  know  to  be  difficult  before  the 
small  ogre  swoops  down  upon  his  victim,  and  carries  it  off  to 
impale  it  on  a  thorn  or  frozen  twig,  there  to  devour  it  later 
piecemeal.  Every  shrike  thus  either  impales  or  else  hangs  up,  as 
a  butcher  does  his  meat,  more  little  birds  of  many  kinds,  field- 
mice,  grasshoppers,  and  other  large  insects  than  it  can  hope  to 
devour  in  a  week  of  bloody  orgies.  Field-mice  are  perhaps  its 
fiivorite  diet,  but  even  snakes  are  not  disdained. 

More  contemptible  than  the  actual  slaughter  of  its  victims,  if 
possible,  is  the  method  by  which  the  shrike  often  lures  and 
sneaks  upon  his  prey.  Hiding  in  a  clump  of  bushes  in  the  meadow 
or  garden,  he  imitates  with  fiendish  cleverness  the  call-notes  of 
little  birds  that  come  in  cheerful  response,  hopping  and  flitting 
within  easy  range  of  him.  His  bloody  work  is  finished  in  a 
trice.  Usually,  however,  it  must  be  owned,  the  shrike's  hunt- 
ing habits  are  the  reverse  of  sneaking.  Perched  on  a  point  of 
vantage  on  some  tree-top  or  weather-vane,  his  hawk-like  eye 
can  detect  a  grasshopper  going  through  the  grass  fifty  yards 
away. 

What  is  our  surprise  when  some  fine  warm  day  in  March, 
just  before  our  butcher,  ogre,  sneak,  and  fiend  leaves  us  for  colder 
regions,  to  hear  him  break  out  into  song  !  Love  has  warmed 
even  his  cold  heart,  and  with  sweet,  warbled  notes  on  the  tip  of 
a  beak  that  but  yesterday  was  reeking  with  his  victim's  blood, 
he  starts  for  Canada,  leaving  behind  him  the  only  good  impres- 
sion he  has  made  during  a  long  winter's  visit. 


Bohemian  Waxwing- 

(Ampelis  garruliis)  Waxwing  family 

Called  also :    BLACK-THROATED     WAXWING  ;     LAPLAND 
WAXWING  ;   SILKTAIL 

Length — 8  to  9.5  inches.     A  little  smaller  than  the  robin. 
Male  and  Female — General  color  drab,  with  faint  brownish  wash 
above,  shading  into  lighter  gray  below.     Crest  conspicuous, 


Dusky,  Gray,  and  Slate-colored 

being  nearly  an  inch  and  a  half  in  length ;  rufous  at  the  base, 
shading  into  light  gray  above.  Velvety-black  forehead,  chin, 
and  line  through  the  eye.  Wings  grayish  brown,  with  very 
dark  quills,  which  have  two  white  bars;  the  bar  at  the  edge 
of  the  upper  wing  coverts  being  tipped  with  red  sealing-wax- 
like points,  that  give  the  bird  its  name.  A  few  wing  feathers 
tipped  with  yellow  on  outer  edge.  Tail  quills  dark  brown, 
with  yellow  band  across  the  end,  and  faint  red  streaks  on 
upper  and  inner  sides. 

Range — Northern  United  States  and  British  America.  Most  com- 
mon in  Canada  and  northern  Mississippi  region. 

Migrations — Very  irregular  winter  visitor. 

W^hen  Charles  Bonaparte,  Prince  of  Canino,  who  was  the  first 
to  count  this  common  waxwing  of  Europe  and  Asia  among  the  birds 
of  North  America,  published  an  account  of  it  in  his  "Synopsis," 
it  was  considered  a  very  rare  bird  indeed.  It  may  be  these  wax- 
wings  have  greatly  increased,  but  however  uncommon  they  may 
still  be  considered,  certainly  no  one  who  had  ever  seen  a  flock 
containing  more  than  a  thousand  of  them,  resting  on  the  trees  of 
a  lawn  within  sight  of  New  York  City,  as  the  writer  has  done, 
could  be  expected  to  consider  the  birds  "  very  rare." 

The  Bohemian  waxwing,  like  the  only  other  member  of  the 
family  that  ever  visits  us,  the  cedar-bird,  is  a  roving  gipsy.  In 
Germany  they  say  seven  years  must  elapse  between  its  visitations, 
which  the  superstitious  old  cronies  are  wont  to  associate  with 
woful  stories  of  pestilence — just  such  tales  as  are  resurrected  from 
the  depths  of  morbid  memories  here  when  a  comet  reappears  or 
the  seven-year  locust  ascends  from  the  ground. 

The  goings  and  comings  of  these  birds  are  certainly  most 
erratic  and  infrequent;  nevertheless,  when  hunger  drives  them 
from  the  far  north  to  feast  upon  the  juniper  and  other  winter 
berries  of  our  Northern  States,  they  come  in  enormous  flocks, 
making  up  in  quantity  what  they  lack  in  regularity  of  visits  and 
evenness  of  distribution. 

Surely  no  bird  has  less  right  to  be  associated  with  evil  than 
this  mild  waxwing.  It  seems  the  very  incarnation  of  peace  and 
harmony.  Part  of  a  flock  that  has  lodged  in  a  tree  will  sit  almost 
motionless  for  hours  and  whisper  in  softly  hissed  twitterings, 
very  much  as  a  company  of  Quaker  ladies,  similarly  dressed, 
might  sit  at  yearly  meeting.  Exquisitely  clothed  in  silky-gray 
feathers  that  no  berry  juice  is  ever  permitted  to  stain,  they  are 

89 


Dusky,  Gray,  and  Slate-colored 

dainty,  gentle,  aristocratic-looking  birds,  a  trifle  heavy  and  indo- 
lent, perhaps,  when  walking  on  the  ground  or  perching;  but  as 
they  fly  in  compact  squads  just  above  the  tree-tops  their  flight  is 
exceedingly  swift  and  graceful. 

Bay-breasted  Warbler 

(Dendroica  castajiea)  Wood  Warbler  family 

Length— 'j,. 2^  to  5.75  inches.  A  little  smaller  than  the  English 
sparrow. 

Male— Crov^w,  chin,  throat,  upper  breast,  and  sides  dull  chest- 
nut. Forehead,  sides  of  head,  and  cheeks  black.  Above 
olive-gray,  streaked  with  black.  Underneath  buffy.  Two 
white  wing-bars.  Outer  tail  quills  with  white  patches  on 
tips.     Cream-white  patch  on  either  side  of  neck. 

Female — Has  more  greenish-olive  above. 

j'?^/?^^— Eastern  North  America,  from  Hudson's  Bay  to  Central 
America.  Nests  north  of  the  United  States.  Winters  in 
tropical  limit  of  range. 

Migrations— }Aixy .     September.     Rare  migrant. 

The  chestnut  breast  of  this  capricious  little  visitor  makes  him 
look  like  a  diminutive  robin.  In  spring,  when  these  warblers 
are  said  to  take  a  more  easterly  route  than  the  one  they  choose  in 
autumn  to  return  by  to  Central  America,  they  may  be  so  sud- 
denly abundant  that  the  fresh  green  trees  and  shrubbery  of  the 
garden  will  contain  a  dozen  of  the  busy  little  hunters.  Another 
season  they  may  pass  northward  either  by  another  route  or  leave 
your  garden  unvisited;  and  perhaps  the  people  in  the  very  next 
town  may  be  counting  your  rare  bird  common,  while  it  is  simply 
perverse. 

Whether  common  or  rare,  before  your  acquaintance  has  had 
time  to  ripen  into  friendship,  away  go  the  freaky  little  creatures 
to  nest  in  the  tree-tops  of  the  Canadian  coniferous  forests. 

Chestnut-sided   Warbler 

( Dendroica  pennsylvanica)  Wood  Warbler  family 

Called  also:  BLOODY-SIDED   WARBLER 

Length — About  5  inches.     Over  an  inch  shorter  than  the  English 

sparrow. 
Male — Top  of  head  and  streaks  in  wings  yellow.     A  black  line 

90 


Dusky,  Gray,  and  Slate-colored 

running  through  the  eye  and  round  back  of  crown,  and  a 
black  spot  in  front  of  eye,  extending  to  cheeks.  Ear  coverts, 
chin,  and  underneath  white.  Back  greenish  gray  and  slate, 
streaked  with  black.  Sides  of  bird  chestnut.  Wings,  which 
are  streaked  with  black  and  yellow,  have  yellowish-white 
bars.  Very  dark  tail  with  white  patches  on  inner  vanes  of 
the  outer  quills. 

Female — Similar,  but  duller.  Chestnut  sides  are  often  scarcely 
apparent. 

Range — Eastern  North  America,  from  Manitoba  and  Labrador  to 
the  tropics,  where  it  winters. 

Migrations — May.  September.  Summer  resident,  most  common 
in  migrations. 

In  the  Alleghanies,  and  from  New  Jersey  and  Illinois  north- 
ward, this  restless  little  warbler  nests  in  the  bushy  borders  of 
woodlands  and  the  undergrowth  of  the  woods,  for  which  he  for- 
sakes our  gardens  and  orchards  after  a  very  short  visit  in  May. 
While  hopping  over  the  ground  catching  ants,  of  which  he  seems 
to  be  inordinately  fond,  or  flitting  actively  about  the  shrubbery 
after  grubs  and  insects,  we  may  note  his  coat  of  many  colors — 
patchwork  in  which  nearly  all  the  warbler  colors  are  curiously 
combined.  With  drooped  wings  that  often  conceal  the  bird's 
chestnut  sides,  which  are  his  chief  distinguishing  mark,  and  with 
tail  erected  like  a  redstart's,  he  hunts  incessantly.  Here  in  the 
garden  he  is  as  refreshingly  indifferent  to  your  interest  in  him  as 
later  in  his  breeding  haunts  he  is  shy  and  distrustful.  His  song  is 
bright  and  animated,  like  that  of  the  yellow  warbler. 


Golden-winged  Warbler 

( HelminthopUla  chrysoptera)  Wood  Warbler  family 

Length — About  5  inches.  More  than  an  inch  shorter  than  the 
English  sparrow. 

Male — Yellow  crown  and  yellow  patches  on  the  wings.  Upper 
parts  bluish  gray,  sometimes  tinged  with  greenish.  Stripe 
through  the  eye  and  throat  black.  Sides  of  head,  chin,  and 
line  over  the  eye  white.  Underneath  white,  grayish  on 
sides.     A  few  white  markings  on  outer  tail  feathers. 

Female — Crown  duller ;  gray  where  male  is  black,  with  olive 
upper  parts  and  grayer  underneath. 

91 


Dusky,  Gray,  and  Slate-colored 

Range — From    Canadian   border  to   Central  America,    where    it 

winters. 
Migrations — May.     September.     Summer  resident. 

After,  one  lias  seen  a  golden-winged  warbler  fluttering  hither 
and  thither  about  the  shrubbery  of  a  park  within  sight  and  sound 
of  a  great  city's  distractions  and  with  blissful  unconcern  of  them 
all,  partaking  of  a  hearty  lunch  of  insects  that  infest  the  leaves 
before  one's  eyes,  one  counts  the  bird  less  rare  and  shy  than  one 
has  been  taught  to  consider  it.  Whoever  looks  for  a  warbler 
with  gaudy  yellow  wings  will  not  fmd  the  golden-winged  vari- 
ety. His  wings  have  golden  patches  only,  and  while  these  are 
distinguishing  marks,  they  are  scarcely  prominent  enough  feat- 
ures to  have  given  the  bird  the  rather  misleading  name  he  bears. 
But,  then,  most  warblers'  names  are  misleading.  They  serve 
their  best  purpose  in  cultivating  patience  and  other  gentle  virtues 
in  the  novice. 

Such  habits  and  choice  of  haunts  as  characterize  the  blue- 
winged  warbler  are  also  the  golden-winged's.  But  their  voices 
are  quite  different,  the  former's  being  sharp  and  metallic,  while 
the  latter's  ^ee,  :{ee,  :{ee  comes  more  lazily  and  without  accent. 

Myrtle  Warbler 

(Defidroica  coronataj  Wood  Warbler  family 

Called  also:  YELLOW-RUMPED   WARBLER;  MYRTLE- 
BIRD;  YELLOW-CROWNED   WARBLER 

Le?igth — 5  to  5.5  inches.  About  an  inch  smaller  than  the  English 
sparrow. 

Male — In  summer  plumage :  A  yellow  patch  on  top  of  head, 
lower  back,  and  either  side  of  the  breast.  Upper  parts  blu- 
ish slate,  streaked  with  black.  Upper  breast  black  ;  throat 
white;  all  other  under  parts  whitish,  streaked  with  black. 
Two  white  wing-bars,  and  tail  quills  have  white  spots  near 
the  tip.  In  winter :  Upper  parts  olive-brown,  streaked  with 
black;  the  yellow  spot  on  lower  back  the  only  yellow  mark 
remaining.     Wing-bars  grayish. 

Female — Resembles  male  in  winter  plumage. 

Range — Eastern  North  America.  Occasional  on  Pacific  slope. 
Summers  from  Minnesota  and  northern  New  England  north- 
ward to  Fur  Countries.     Winters  from  Middle  States  south- 

93 


Dusky,  Gray,  and  Slate-colored 

ward  into   Central  America;   a  few  often  remaining  at  the 
northern  United  States  all  the  winter. 
Migrations — April.    October.    November.     Also,  but  more  rarely, 
a  winter  resident. 

The  first  of  the  warblers  to  arrive  in  the  spring  and  the  last 
to  leave  us  in  the  autumn,  some  even  remaining  throughout  the 
northern  winter,  the  myrtle  warbler,  next  to  the  summer  yellow- 
bird,  is  the  most  familiar  of  its  multitudinous  kin.  Though  we 
become  acquainted  with  it  chiefly  in  the  migrations,  it  impresses 
us  by  its  numbers  rather  than  by  any  gorgeousness  of  attire.  The 
four  yellow  spots  on  crown,  lower  back,  and  sides  are  its  distin- 
guishing marks;  and  in  the  autumn  these  marks  have  dwindled 
to  only  one,  that  on  the  lower  back  or  rump.  The  great  diffi- 
culty experienced  in  identifying  any  warbler  is  in  its  restless  habit 
of  flitting  about. 

For  a  few  days  in  early  May  we  are  forcibly  reminded  of  the 
Florida  peninsula,  which  fairly  teems  with  these  birds  ;  they 
become  almost  superabundant,  a  distraction  during  the  precious 
days  when  the  rarer  species  are  quietly  slipping  by,  not  to  return 
again  for  a  year,  perhaps  longer,  for  some  warblers  are  notoriously 
irregular  in  their  routes  north  and  south,  and  never  return  by  the 
way  they  travelled  in  the  spring. 

But  if  we  look  sharply  into  every  group  of  myrtle  warblers, 
we  are  quite  likely  to  discover  some  of  their  dainty,  fragile  cous- 
ins that  gladly  seek  the  escort  of  birds  so  fearless  as  they.  By 
the  last  of  May  all  the  warblers  are  gone  from  the  neighborhood 
except  the  constant  little  summer  yellowbird  and  redstart. 

In  autumn,  when  the  myrtle  warblers  return  after  a  busy 
enough  summer  passed  in  Canadian  nurseries,  they  chiefly  haunt 
those  regions  where  juniper  and  bay-berries  abound.  These  latter 
(Myrica  cerifera),  or  the  myrtle  wax-berries,  as  they  are  some- 
times called,  and  which  are  the  bird's  favorite  food,  have  given  it 
their  name.  Wherever  the  supply  of  these  berries  is  sufficient  to 
last  through  the  winter,  there  it  may  be  found  foraging  in  the 
scrubby  bushes.  Sometimes  driven  by  cold  and  hunger  from 
the  fields,  this  hardiest  member  of  a  family  that  properly  belongs 
to  the  tropics,  seeks  shelter  and  food  close  to  the  outbuildings 
on  the  farm. 


93 


Dusky,  Gray,  and  Slate-colored 

Parula  Warbler 

(Compsothlypis  americana)  Wood  Warbler  family 

Called  also:  BLUE   YELLOW-BACKED   WARBLER 

Length — 4.5  to  4.75  inches.  About  an  inch  and  a  half  shorter 
than  the  English  sparrow. 

Male  and  Female — Slate-colored  above,  with  a  greenish-yellow  or 
bronze  patch  in  the  middle  of  the  back.  Chin,  throat,  and 
breast  yellow.  A  black,  bluish,  or  rufous  band  across  the 
breast,  usually  lacking  in  female.  Underneath  white,  some- 
times marked  with  rufous  on  sides,  but  these  markings  are 
variable.  Wings  have  two  white  patches ;  outer  tail  feathers 
have  white  patch  near  the  end. 

Range — Eastern  North  America.    Winters  from  Florida  southward. 

Migrations — April.     October.     Summer  resident. 

Through  an  open  window  of  an  apartment  in  the  very  heart 
of  New  York  City,  a  parula  warbler  flew  this  spring  of  1897, 
surely  the  daintiest,  most  exquisitely  beautiful  bird  visitor  that 
ever  voluntarily  lodged  between  two  brick  walls. 

A  number  of  such  airy,  tiny  beauties  flitting  about  among  the 
blossoms  of  the  shrubbery  on  a  bright  May  morning  and  swaying 
on  the  slenderest  branches  with  their  inimitable  grace,  is  a  sight 
that  the  memory  should  retain  into  old  age.  They  seem  the  very 
embodiment  of  life,  joy,  beauty,  grace;  of  everything  lovely  that 
birds  by  any  possibility  could  be.  Apparently  they  are  wafted 
about  the  garden;  they  fly  with  no  more  effort  than  a  dainty 
lifting  of  the  wings,  as  if  to  catch  the  breeze,  that  seems  to  lift 
them  as  it  might  a  bunch  of  thistledown.  They  go  through  a 
great  variety  of  charming  posturings  as  they  hunt  for  their  food 
upon  the  blossoms  and  tender  fresh  twigs,  now  creeping  like  a 
nuthatch  along  the  bark  and  peering  into  the  crevices,  now  grace- 
fully swaying  and  balancing  like  a  goldfinch  upon  a  slender, 
pendent  stem.  One  little  sprite  pauses  in  its  hunt  for  the  insects 
to  raise  its  pretty  head  and  trill  a  short  and  wiry  song. 

But  the  parula  warbler  does  not  remain  long  about  the  gar- 
dens and  orchards,  though  it  will  not  forsake  us  altogether  for 
the  Canadian  forests,  where  most  of  its  relatives  pass  the  summer. 
It  retreats  only  to  the  woods  near  the  water,  if  may  be,  or  to  just 
as  close  a  counterpart  of  a  swampy  southern  woods,  where  the 

94 


Dusky,  Gray,  and  Slate-colored 

Spanish  or  Usnea  "  moss"  drapes  itself  over  the  cypresses,  as  it 
can  find  here  at  the  north.  Its  rarely  beautiful  nest,  that  hangs 
suspended  from  a  slender  branch  very  much  like  the  Baltimore 
oriole's,  is  so  woven  and  festooned  with  this  moss  that  its  con- 
cealment is  perfect. 


Black-throated  Blue  Warbler 

(Dendroica  ccerulescens)  Wood  Warbler  family 

Length — 5.30  inches.  About  an  inch  shorter  than  the  English 
sparrow. 

Male — Slate-color,  not  blue  above  ;  lightest  on  forehead  and 
darkest  on  lower  back.  Wings  and  tail  edged  with  bluish. 
Cheeks,  chin,  throat,  upper  breast,  and  sides  black.  Breast 
and  underneath  white.  White  spots  on  wings,  and  a  little 
white  on  tail. 

Female — Olive-green  above  ;  underneath  soiled  yellow.  Wing- 
spots  inconspicuous.     Tail  generally  has  a  faint  bluish  tinge. 

Range — Eastern  North  America,  from  Labrador  to  tropics,  where 
it  winters. 

Migrations — May.  September.  Usually  a  migrant  only  in  the 
United  States. 

Whoever  looks  for  this  beautifully  marked  warbler  among 
the  bluebirds,  will  wish  that  the  man  who  named  him  had  pos- 
sessed a  truer  eye  for  color.  But  if  the  name  so  illy  fits  the 
bright  slate-colored  male,  how  grieved  must  be  his  little  olive- 
and-yellow  mate  to  answer  to  the  name  of  black-throated  blue 
warbler  when  she  has  neither  a  black  throat  nor  a  blue  feather! 
It  is  not  easy  to  distinguish  her  as  she  flits  about  the  twigs  and 
leaves  of  the  garden  in  May  or  early  autumn,  except  as  she  is 
seen  in  company  with  her  husband,  whose  name  she  has  taken 
with  him  for  better  or  for  worse.  The  white  spot  on  the  wings 
should  always  be  looked  for  to  positively  identify  this  bird. 

Before  flying  up  to  a  twig  to  peck  off  the  insects,  the  birds 
have  a  pretty  vireo  trick  of  cocking  their  heads  on  one  side  to  in- 
vestigate the  quantity  hidden  underneath  the  leaves.  They  seem 
less  nervous  and  more  deliberate  than  many  of  their  restless  family. 

Most  warblers  go  over  the  Canada  border  to  nest,  but  there 
are  many  records  of  the  nests  of  this  species  in  the  Alleghanies 
as  far  south  as  Georgia,  in  the  Catskills,  in  Connecticut,  northern 

9S 


Dusky,  Gray,  and  Slate-colored 

Minnesota  and  Michigan.  Laurel  thickets  and  moist  undergrowth 
of  woods  in  the  United  States,  and  more  commonly  pine  woods 
in  Canada,  are  the  flivorite  nesting  haunts.  A  sharp  lip,  {ip, 
like  some  midsummer  insect's  noise,  is  the  bird's  call-note,  but  its 
love-song,  ^ee,  ^ee,  ^ee,  or  twee,  twea,  twea-e-e.  as  one  authority 
writes  it,  is  only  rarely  heard  in  the  migrations.  It  is  a  languid, 
drawling  little  strain,  with  an  upward  slide  that  is  easily  drowned 
in  the  full  bird  chorus  of  May. 


96 


BLUE  AND  BLUISH  BIRDS 

Bluebird 
Indigo  Bunting 
Belted  Kingfisher 
Blue  Jay 
Blue  Grosbeak 
Barn  Swallow 
Cliff  Swallow 
Mourning  Dove 
Blue-gray  Gnatcatcher 


Look  also  an,o.g  Slate-colo-ed  Birds  in  preceding  group,  p.,rt^ular^  annong  the 
Warblers  there,  or  in  the  group  of  Birds  conspicuously  Yellow  and  Orange. 


BLUE  AND   BLUISH   BIRDS 

The  Bluebird 

(Sialia  sialis)  Thrush  family 

Called  also:  BLUE    ROBIN 

Length--]  inches.    About  an  inch  longer  than  the  English  sparrow. 

j/^/.-Upper  parts,  wings,  and  tail  bright  blue,  with  rusty  wash 
in  autumn.  Throat,  breast,  and  sides  cmnamon-red.  Under- 
neath white. 

Female-W2^s  duller  blue  feathers,  washed  with  gray,  and  a  paler 
breast  than  male. 

^^,,^,_North  America,  from  Nova  Scotia  \"d  M^^V^^,^^  *,^  ^^"^ 
of  Mexico.  Southward  in  wmter  from  Middle  States  to  Ber- 
muda and  West  Indies. 

Migrations— }A2irc\x.  November.  Summer  resident.  A  few  some- 
times remain  throughout  the  winter. 

With  the  first  soft,  plaintive  warble  of  the  bluebirds  early  in 
March,  the  sugar  camps,  waiting  for  their  signal,  take  on  a  bust- 
ling activity;  the  farmer  looks  to  his  plough;  orders  are  hurried 
off  to  the  seedsmen ;  a  fever  to  be  out  of  doors  seizes  one :  spring 
is  here.  Snowstorms  may  yet  whiten  fields  and  gardens,  high 
winds  may  howl  about  the  trees  and  chimneys,  but  the  little  blue 
heralds  persistently  proclaim  from  the  orchard  and  garden  that 
the  spring  procession  has  begun  to  move.  Tru-al-ly.  tru-al-ly, 
they  sweetly  assert  to  our  incredulous  ears. 

The  bluebird  is  not  always  a  migrant,  except  in  the  more 
northern  portions  of  the  country.  Some  representatives  there  are 
always  with  us,  but  the  great  majority  winter  south  and  drop  out 
of  the  spring  procession  on  its  way  northward,  the  males  a  little 
ahead  of  their  mates,  which  show  housewifely  instincts  imme- 
diately after  their  arrival.  A  pair  of  these  rather  undemonstrative, 
matter-of-fact  lovers  go  about  looking  for  some  deserted  wood- 
pecker's hole  in  the  orchard,  peering  into  cavities  in  the  fencp- 

99 


Blue  and  Bluish 

rails,  or  into  the  bird-houses  that,  once  set  up  in  the  old-fashioned 
gardens  for  their  special  benefit,  are  now  appropriated  too  often 
by  the  ubiquitous  sparrow.  Wrens  they  can  readily  dispossess  of 
an  attractive  tenement,  and  do.  With  a  temper  as  heavenly  as 
the  color  of  their  feathers,  the  bluebird's  sense  of  justice  is  not 
always  so  adorable.  But  sparrows  unnerve  them  into  cowardice. 
The  comparatively  infrequent  nesting  of  the  bluebirds  about  our 
homes  at  the  present  time  is  one  of  the  most  deplorable  results 
of  unrestricted  sparrow  immigration.  Formerly  they  were  the 
commonest  of  bird  neighbors. 

Nest-building  is  not  a  favorite  occupation  with  the  bluebirds, 
that  are  conspicuously  domestic  none  the  less.  Two,  and  even 
three,  broods  in  a  season  fully  occupy  their  time.  As  in  most 
cases,  the  mother-bird  does  more  than  her  share  of  the  work. 
The  male  looks  with  wondering  admiration  at  the  housewifely 
activity,  applauds  her  with  song,  feeds  her  as  she  sits  brooding 
over  the  nestful  of  pale  greenish-blue  eggs,  but  his  adoration  of 
her  virtues  does  not  lead  him  into  emulation. 

"  Shifting  his  light  load  of  song, 
From  post  to  post  along  the  cheerless  fence," 

Lowell  observed  that  he  carried  his  duties  quite  as  lightly. 

When  the  young  birds  first  emerge  from  the  shell  they  are 
almost  black;  they  come  into  their  splendid  heritage  of  color  by 
degrees,  lest  their  young  heads  might  be  turned.  It  is  only  as 
they  spread  their  tiny  wings  for  their  first  flight  from  the  nest 
that  we  can  see  a  few  blue  feathers. 

With  the  first  cool  days  of  autumn  the  bluebirds  collect  in 
flocks,  often  associating  with  orioles  and  kingbirds  in  sheltered, 
sunny  places  where  insects  are  still  plentiful.  Their  steady,  undu- 
lating flight  now  becomes  erratic  as  they  take  food  on  the  wing— v 
a  habit  that  they  may  have  learned  by  association  with  the  king- 
birds, for  they  have  also  adopted  the  habit  of  perching  upon  some 
conspicuous  lookout  and  then  suddenly  launching  out  into  the 
air  for  a  passing  fly  and  returning  to  their  perch.  Long  after  their 
associates  have  gone  southward,  they  linger  like  the  last  leaves  on 
the  tree.  It  is  indeed  "good-bye  to  summer "  when  the  blue- 
birds withdraw  their  touch  of  brightness  from  the  dreary  Novem- 
ber landscape. 

The  bluebirds  from  Canada  and  the  northern  portions  of  New 


INDIGO    BIRD.     Male  and  Female 


Blue  and  Bluish 

England  and  New  York  migrate  into  Virginia  and  the  Carolinas; 
the  birds  from  the  Middle  States  move  down  into  the  Gulf  States 
to  pass  the  winter.  It  was  there  that  countless  numbers  were 
cut  off  by  the  severe  winter  of  1894-95,  which  was  so  severe  in 
that  section. 

Indigo  Bunting- 

(Passerina  cyanea)  Finch  family 

Called  also:  INDIGO  BIRD 

Length — 5.5  to  6  inches.     Smaller  than  the  English  sparrow,  or 

the  size  of  a  canary. 
Male — In  certain  lights  rich  blue,  deepest  on  head.     In  another 

light  the  blue  feathers  show  verdigris  tints.    Wings,  tail,  and 

lower  back  with  brownish  wash,  most  prominent  in  autumn 

plumage.     Quills  of  wings  and  tail  deep  blue,  margined  with 

light. 
Female — Plain  sienna-brown   above.     Yellowish  on   breast   and 

shading    to   white    underneath,    and    indistinctly   streaked. 

Wings  and  tail  darkest,  sometimes  with  slight  tinge  of  blue 

in  outer  webs  and  on  shoulders. 
Range — North  America,   from   Hudson    Bay  to  Panama.      Most 

common   in   eastern    part   of    United    States.      Winters   in 

Central  America  and  Mexico. 
Migrations — May.     September.     Summer  resident. 

The  "glowing  indigo"  of  this  tropical-looking  visitor  that 
so  delighted  Thoreau  in  the  Walden  woods,  often  seems  only  the 
more  intense  by  comparison  with  the  blue  sky,  against  which  it 
stands  out  in  relief  as  the  bird  perches  singing  in  a  tree-top. 
What  has  this  gaily  dressed,  dapper  little  cavalier  in  common 
with  his  dingy  sparrow  cousins  that  haunt  the  ground  and  de- 
light in  dust-baths,  leaving  their  feathers  no  whit  more  dingy 
than  they  were  before,  and  in  temper,  as  in  plumage,  suggesting 
more  of  earth  than  of  heaven  .?  Apparently  he  has  nothing,  and 
yet  the  small  brown  bird  in  the  roadside  thicket,  which  you  have 
misnamed  a  sparrow,  not  noticing  the  glint  of  blue  in  her  shoul- 
ders and  tail,  is  his  mate.  Besides  the  structural  resemblances, 
which  are,  of  course,  the  only  ones  considered  by  ornithologists 
in  classifying  birds,  the  indigo  buntings  have  several  sparrow- 
like traits.  They  feed  upon  the  ground,  mainly  upon  seeds  of 
grasses  and  herbs,  with  a  few  insects  interspersed  to  give  relish 


Blue  and  Bluish 

to  the  grain  ;  they  build  grassy  nests  in  low  bushes  or  tall,  rank 
grass  ;  and  their  flight  is  short  and  labored.  Borders  of  woods, 
roadside  thickets,  and  even  garden  shrubbery,  with  open  pasture 
lots  for  foraging  grounds  near  by,  are  favorite  haunts  of  these 
birds,  that  return  again  and  again  to  some  preferred  spot.  But 
however  close  to  our  homes  they  build  theirs,  our  presence  never 
ceases  to  be  regarded  by  them  with  anything  but  suspicion,  not 
to  say  alarm.  Their  metallic  cheep,  cheep,  warns  you  to  keep 
away  from  the  little  blue-white  eggs,  hidden  away  securely  in 
the  bushes  ;  and  the  nervous  tail  twitchings  and  jerkings  are 
pathetic  to  see.  Happily  for  the  safety  of  their  nest,  the  brood- 
ing mother  has  no  tell-tale  feathers  to  attract  the  eye.  Dense 
foliage  no  more  conceals  the  male  bird's  brilliant  coat  than  it  can 
the  tanager's  or  oriole's. 

With  no  attempt  at  concealment,  which  he  doubtless  under- 
stands would  be  quite  impossible,  he  chooses  some  high,  con- 
spicuous perch  to  which  he  mounts  by  easy  stages,  singing  as  he 
goes  ;  and  there  begins  a  loud  and  rapid  strain  that  promises 
much,  but  growing  weaker  and  weaker,  ends  as  if  the  bird  were 
either  out  of  breath  or  too  weak  to  finish.  Then  suddenly  he 
begins  the  same  song  over  again,  and  keeps  up  this  continuous 
performance  for  nearly  half  an  hour.  The  noonday  heat  of  an 
August  day  that  silences  nearly  every  other  voice,  seems  to  give 
to  the  indigo  bird's  only  fresh  animation  and  timbre. 

The  Belted  Kingfisher 

(Ceryle  alcyon)  Kingfisher  family 

Called  also:   THE  HALCYON 

Length — 12  to  I J  inches.  About  one-fourth  as  large  again  as  the 
robin. 

Male — Upper  part  grayish  blue,  with  prominent  crest  on  head 
reaching  to  the  nape.  A  white  spot  in  front  of  the  eye.  Bill 
longer  than  the  head,  which  is  large  and  heavy.  Wings  and 
the  short  tail  minutely  speckled  and  marked  with  broken 
bands  of  white.  Chin,  band  around  throat,  and  underneath 
white.  Two  bluish  bands  across  the  breast  and  a  bluish 
wash  on  sides. 

Female — Female  and  immature  specimens  have  rufous  bands 
where  the  adult  male's  are  blue.     Plumage  of  both  birds  oily. 


BELTED    KINGFISHER 


Blue  and  Bluish 

^^;i!^<?— North  America,  except  where  the  Texan  kingfisher 
replaces  it  in  a  limited  area  in  the  Southwest.  Common  from 
Labrador  to  Florida,  east  and  west.  Winters  chiefly  from 
Virginia  southward  to  South  America. 

Migra^w/!s~Miirch.  December.  Common  summer  resident. 
Usually  a  winter  resident  also. 

If  the  kingfisher  is  not  so  neighborly  as  we  could  wish,  or  as 
he  used  to  be,  it  is  not  because  he  has  grown  less  friendly,  but 
because  the  streams  near  our  homes  are  fished  out.  Fish  he 
must  and  will  have,  and  to  get  them  nowadays  it  is  too  often 
necessary  to  follow  the  stream  back  through  secluded  woods  to 
the  quiet  waters  of  its  source:  a  clear,  cool  pond  or  lake  whose 
scaly  inmates  have  not  yet  learned  wisdom  at  the  point  of  the 
sportsman's  fly. 

In  such  quiet  haunts  the  kingfisher  is  easily  the  most  con- 
spicuous object  in  sight,  where  he  perches  on  some  dead  or  pro- 
jecting branch  over  the  water,  intently  watching  for  a  dinner  that 
is  all  unsuspectingly  swimming  below.  Suddenly  the  bird  drops 
— dives  ;  there  is  a  splash,  a  struggle,  and  then  the  "lone  fisher- 
man "  returns  triumphant  to  his  perch,  holding  a  shining  fish  in  his 
beak.  If  the  fish  is  small  it  is  swallowed  at  once,  but  if  it  is  large 
and  bony  it  must  first  be  killed  against  the  branch.  A  few  sharp 
knocks,  and  the  struggles  of  the  fish  are  over,  but  the  kingfisher's 
have  only  begun.  How  he  gags  and  writhes,  swallows  his 
dinner,  and  then,  regretting  his  haste,  brings  it  up  again  to  try 
another  wider  avenue  down  his  throat !  The  many  abortive 
efforts  he  makes  to  land  his  dinner  safely  below  in  his  stomach, 
his  grim  contortions  as  the  fishbones  scratch  his  throat-lining  on 
their  way  down  and  up  again,  force  a  smile  in  spite  of  the  bird's 
evident  distress.  It  is  small  wonder  he  supplements  his  fish  diet 
with  various  kinds  of  the  larger  insects,  shrimps,  and  fresh- water 
mollusks. 

Flying  well  over  the  tree-tops  or  along  the  waterways,  the 
kingfisher  makes  the  woodland  echo  with  his  noisy  rattle,  that 
breaks  the  stillness  like  a  watchman's  at  midnight.  It  is,  per- 
haps, the  most  familiar  sound  heard  along  the  banks  of  the  inland 
rivers.  No  love  or  cradle  song  does  he  know.  Instead  of  soften- 
ing and  growing  sweet,  as  the  voices  of  most  birds  do  in  the 
nesting  season,  the  endearments  uttered  by  a  pair  of  mated  king- 
fishers are  the  most  strident,  rattly  shrieks  ever  heard  by  lovers. 

103 


Blue  and  Bluish 

It  sounds  as  if  they  were  perpetually  quarrelling,  and  yet  they  are 
really  particularly  devoted. 

The  nest  ot  these  birds,  like  the  bank  swallow's,  is  excavated 
in  the  face  of  a  high  bank,  preferably  one  that  rises  from  a  stream ; 
and  at  about  six  feet  from  the  entrance  of  the  tunnel  six  or  eight 
clear,  shining  white  eggs  are  placed  on  a  curious  nest.  All  the  fish- 
bones and  scales  that,  being  indigestible,  are  disgorged  in  pellets 
by  the  parents,  are  carefully  carried  to  the  end  of  the  tunnel  to  form 
a  prickly  cradle  for  the  unhappy  fledglings.  Very  rarely  a  nest  is 
made  in  the  hollow  trunk  of  a  tree;  but  wherever  the  home  is, 
the  kingfishers  become  strongly  attached  to  it,  returning  again 
and  again  to  the  spot  that  has  cost  them  so  much  labor  to  exca- 
vate. Some  observers  have  accused  them  of  appropriating  the 
holes  of  the  water-rats. 

In  ancient  times  of  myths  and  fables,  kingfishers  or  halcyons 
were  said  to  build  a  floating  nest  on  the  sea,  and  to  possess  some 
mysterious  power  that  calmed  the  troubled  waves  while  the  eggs 
were  hatching  and  the  young  birds  were  being  reared,  hence  the 
term  "halcyon  days,"  meaning  days  of  fair  weather. 


Blue  Jay 

(Cyanocitta  cristata)  Crow  and  Jay  family 

Length — 1 1  to  12  inches.     A  little  larger  than  the  robin. 

Male  and  Female — Blue  above.  Black  band  around  the  neck,  join- 
ing some  black  feathers  on  the  back.  Under  parts  dusky 
white.  Wing  coverts  and  tail  bright  blue,  striped  trans- 
versely with  black.  Tail  much  rounded.  Many  feathers 
edged  and  tipped  with  white.  Head  finely  crested  ;  bill, 
tongue,  and  legs  black. 

Range — Eastern  coast  of  North  America  to  the  plains,  and  from 
northern  Canada  to  Florida  and  eastern  Texas. 

Migrations — Permanent  resident.  Although  seen  in  flocks  mov- 
ing southward  or  northward,  they  are  merely  seeking  hap- 
pier hunting  grounds,  not  migrating. 

No  bird  of  finer  color  or  presence  sojourns  with  us  the  year 
round  than  the  blue  jay.  In  a  peculiar  sense  his  is  a  case  of 
"beauty  covering  a  multitude  of  sins."  Among  close  students 
of  bird  traits,  we  find  none  so  poor  as  to  do  him  reverence.  Dis- 
honest, cruel,  inquisitive,  murderous,  voracious,  villainous,  are 

104 


-i^wgaF;  ■  :-'mi:mmmm^mf)-^A:^t  :t!?.'^^«»P^^''"' 


BLUEJAY 


Blue  and  Bluish 

some  of  the  epithets  applied  to  this  bird  of  exquisite  plumage. 
Emerson,  however,  has  said  in  his  defence  he  does  "more  good 
than  harm,"  alluding,  no  doubt,  to  his  habit  of  burying  nuts  and 
hard  seeds  in  the  ground,  so  that  many  a  waste  place  is  clothed 
with  trees  and  shrubs,  thanks  to  his  propensity  and  industry. 

He  is  mischievous  as  a  small  boy,  destructive  as  a  monkey, 
deft  at  hiding  as  a  squirrel.  He  is  unsociable  and  unamiable, 
disliking  the  society  of  other  birds.  His  harsh  screams,  shrieks, 
and  most  aggressive  and  unmusical  calls  seem  often  intended 
maliciously  to  drown  the  songs  of  the  sweet-voiced  singers. 

From  April  to  September,  the  breeding  and  moulting  season, 
the  blue  jays  are  almost  silent,  only  sallying  forth  from  the  woods 
to  pillage  and  devour  the  young  and  eggs  of  their  more  peaceful 
neighbors.  In  a  bulky  nest,  usually  placed  in  a  tree-crotch  high 
above  our  heads,  from  four  to  six  eggs,  olive-gray  with  brown 
spots,  are  laid  and  most  carefully  tended. 

Notwithstanding  the  unlovely  characteristics  of  the  blue  jay, 
we  could  ill  spare  the  flash  of  color,  like  a  bit  of  blue  sky  dropped 
from  above,  which  is  so  rare  a  tint  even  in  our  land,  that  we 
number  not  more  than  three  or  four  true  blue  birds,  and  in  Eng- 
land, it  is  said,  there  is  none. 

Blue  Grosbeak 

(Guiraca  ccenilea)  Finch  family 

Length — 7  inches.    About  an  inch  larger  than  the  English  sparrow. 

Male — Deep  blue,  dark,  and  almost  black  on  the  back ;  wings  and 
tail  black,  slightly  edged  with  blue,  and  the  former  marked 
with  bright  chestnut.  Cheeks  and  chin  black.  Bill  heavy 
and  bluish. 

Female — Grayish  brown  above,  sometimes  with  bluish  tinge  on 
head,  lower  back,  and  shoulders.  Wings  dark  olive-brown, 
with  faint  buff  markings;  tail  same  shade  as  wings,  but  with 
bluish-gray  markings.  Underneath  brownish  cream-color, 
the  breast  feathers  often  blue  at  the  base. 

Range — United  States,  from  southern  New  England  westward  to 
the  Rocky  Mountains  and  southward  into  Mexico  and  be- 
yond. Most  common  in  the  Southwest.  Rare  along  the 
Atlantic  seaboard. 

Migrations — May.     September.     Summer  resident. 

This  beautiful  but  rather  shy  and  solitary  bird  occasionally 

105 


Blue  and  Bluish 

wanders  eastward  to  rival  the  bluebird  and  the  indigo  bunting 
in  their  rare  and  lovely  coloring,  and  eclipse  them  both  in  song. 
Audubon,  we  remember,  found  the  nest  in  New  Jersey.  Penn- 
sylvania is  still  favored  with  one  now  and  then,  but  it  is  in  the 
Southwest  only  that  the  blue  grosbeak  is  as  common  as  the 
evening  grosbeak  is  in  the  Northwest.  Since  rice  is  its  favorite 
food,  it  naturally  abounds  where  that  cereal  grows.  Seeds  and 
kernels  of  the  hardest  kinds,  that  its  heavy,  strong  beak  is  well 
adapted  to  crack,  constitute  its  diet  when  it  strays  beyond  the 
rice-fields. 

Possibly  the  heavy  bills  of  all  the  grosbeaks  make  them  look 
stupid  whether  they  are  or  not — a  characteristic  that  the  blue  gros- 
beak's habit  of  sitting  motionless  with  a  vacant  stare  many  min- 
utes at  a  time  unfortunately  emphasizes. 

When  seen  in  the  roadside  thickets  or  tall  weeds,  such  as  the 
field  sparrow  chooses  to  frequent,  it  shows  little  fear  of  man  un- 
less actually  approached  and  threatened,  but  whether  this  fearless- 
ness comes  from  actual  confidence  or  stupidity  is  by  no  means 
certain.  Whatever  the  motive  of  its  inactivity,  it  accomplishes  an 
end  to  be  desired  by  the  cleverest  bird  ;  its  presence  is  almost 
never  suspected  by  the  passer-by,  and  its  grassy  nest  on  a  tree- 
branch,  containing  three  or  four  pale  bluish-white  eggs,  is  never 
betrayed  by  look  or  sign  to  the  marauding  small  boy. 

Barn  Swallow 

(Chelidon  erythrogaster)  Swallow  family 

Length — 6.5  to  7  inches.  A  trifle  larger  than  the  English  sparrow. 
Apparently  considerably  larger,  because  of  its  wide  wing- 
spread. 

Male — Glistening  steel-blue  shading  to  black  above.  Chin,  breast, 
and  underneath  bright  chestnut-brown  and  brilliant  buff  that 
glistens  in  the  sunlight.  A  partial  collar  of  steel-blue.  Tail 
very  deeply  forked  and  slender. 

Female — Smaller  and  paler,  with  shorter  outer  tail  feathers,  mak- 
ing the  fork  less  prominent. 

Hange — Throughout  North  America.  Winters  in  tropics  of  both 
Americas. 

Migrations— A\)n\.    September.     Summer  resident. 

Any  one  who  attempts  to  describe  the  coloring  of  a  bird's 
plumage  knows  how  inadequate  words  are  to  convey  a  just  idea 

106 


o 
< 

< 


Blue  and  Bluish 

of  the  delicacy,  richness,  and  brilliancy  of  the  living  tints.  But, 
happily,  the  beautiful  barn  swallow  is  too  familiar  to  need  descrip- 
tion. Wheeling  about  our  barns  and  houses,  skimming  over  the 
fields,  its  bright  sides  flashing  in  the  sunlight,  playing  "cross 
tag  "  with  its  friends  at  evening,  when  the  insects,  too,  are  on 
the  wing,  gyrating,  darting,  and  gliding  through  the  air,  it  is  no 
more  possible  to  adequately  describe  the  exquisite  grace  of  a 
swallow's  flight  than  the  glistening  buff  of  its  breast. 

This  is  a  typical  bird  of  the  air,  as  an  oriole  is  of  the  trees 
and  a  sparrow  of  the  ground.  Though  the  swallow  may  often 
be  seen  perching  on  a  telegraph  wire,  suddenly  it  darts  off  as  if 
it  had  received  a  shock  of  electricity,  and  we  see  the  bird  in  its 
true  element. 

While  this  swallow  is  peculiarly  American,  it  is  often  con- 
founded with  its  European  cousin  Hirundo  rustica  in  noted 
ornithologies. 

Up  in  the  rafters  of  the  barn,  or  in  the  arch  of  an  old  bridge 
that  spans  a  stream,  these  swallows  build  their  bracket-like  nests 
of  clay  or  mud  pellets  intermixed  with  straw.  Here  the  noisy 
little  broods  pick  their  way  out  of  the  white  eggs  curiously  spotted 
with  brown  and  lilac  that  were  all  too  familiar  in  the  marauding 
days  of  our  childhood. 

Cliff  Swallow 

(Petrochelidon  hmifrons)  Swallow  family 

Called  also:  HAVE   SWALLOW;  CRESCENT  SWALLOW; 
ROCKY  MOUNTAIN  SWALLOW 

Length — 6  inches.  A  trifle  smaller  than  the  English  sparrow. 
Apparently  considerably  larger  because  of  its  wide  wing- 
spread. 

Male  and  Female — Steel-blue  above,  shading  to  blue-black  on  crown 
of  head  and  on  wings  and  tail.  A  brownish-gray  ring 
around  the  neck.  Beneath  dusty  white,  with  rufous  tint. 
Crescent-like  frontlet.  Chin,  throat,  sides  of  head,  and  tail 
coverts  rufous. 

J^ange—Horih  and  South  America.     Winters  in  the  tropics. 
Migrations— Early  April.     Late  September.     Summer  resident. 

Not  quite  so  brilliantly  colored  as  the  barn  swallow,  nor 
with  tail  so  deeply  forked,  and  consequently  without  so  much 

107 


Blue  and  Bluish 

grace  in  flying,  and  with  a  squeak  rather  than  the  really  musi- 
cal twitter  of  the  gayer  bird,  the  cliff  swallow  may  be  posi- 
tively identified  by  the  rufous  feathers  of  its  tail  coverts,  but  more 
definitely  by  its  crescent-shaped  frontlet  shining  like  a  new  moon; 
hence  its  specific  Latin  name  from  luna=moon,  and /rows = front. 

Such  great  numbers  of  these  swallows  have  been  seen  in  the 
far  West  that  the  name  of  Rocky  Mountain  swallows  is  some- 
times given  to  them ;  though  however  rare  they  may  have  been 
in  1824,  when  DeWitt  Clinton  thought  he  "discovered"  them 
near  Lake  Champlain,  they  are  now  common  enough  in  all  parts 
of  the  United  States. 

In  the  West  this  swallow  is  wholly  a  cliff-dweller,  but  it  has 
learned  to  modify  its  home  in  different  localities.  As  usually 
seen,  it  is  gourd-shaped,  opened  at  the  top,  built  entirely  of  mud 
pellets  ("bricks  without  straw"),  softly  lined  with  feathers  and 
wisps  of  grass,  and  attached  by  the  larger  part  to  a  projecting 
cliff  or  eave. 

Like  all  the  swallows,  this  bird  lives  in  colonies,  and  the  clay- 
colored  nests  beneath  the  eaves  of  barns  are  often  so  close  to- 
gether that  a  group  of  them  resembles  nothing  so  much  as  a 
gigantic  wasp's  nest.  It  is  said  that  when  swallows  pair  they 
are  mated  for  life  ;  but,  then,  more  is  said  about  swallows  than 
the  most  tireless  bird-lover  could  substantiate.  The  tradition 
that  swallows  fly  low  when  it  is  going  to  rain  may  be  easily 
credited,  because  the  air  before  a  storm  is  usually  too  heavy  with 
moisture  for  the  winged  insects,  upon  which  the  swallows  feed, 
to  fly  high. 

Mourning  Dove 

(Zenaidura  macroura)  Pigeon  family 

Called  also :  CkKOLmk  DOVE;    TURTLE   DOVE 

Length — 12  to  13  inches.  About  one-half  as  large  again  as  the 
robin. 

Male — Grayish  brown  or  fawn-color  above,  varying  to  bluish 
gray.  Crown  and  upper  part  of  head  greenish  blue,  with 
green  and  golden  metallic  reflections  on  sides  of  neck.  A 
black  spot  under  each  ear.  Forehead  and  breast  reddish 
buff;  lighter  underneath.  (General  impression  of  color,  bluish 
fawn.)  Bill  black,  with  tumid,  fleshy  covering;  feet  red; 
two  middle  tail  feathers  longest;  all  others  banded  with  black 

108 


Blue  and  Bluish 

and  tipped  with  ashy  white.     Wing  coverts  sparsely  spotted 

with  black.     Flanks  and  underneath  the  wings  bluish. 
Female — Duller  and  without  iridescent  reflections  on  neck. 
Range — North  America,  from  Quebec  to  Panama,  and  westward 

to  Arizona.     Most  common  in  temperate  climate,   east  of 

Rocky  Mountains. 
Migrations — March.      November.      Common  summer  resident  ; 

not  migratory  south  of  Virginia. 

The  beautiful,  soft-colored  plumage  of  this  incessant  and 
rather  melancholy  love-maker  is  not  on  public  exhibition.  To  see 
it  we  must  trace  the  a-coo-o,  coo-o,  coo-oo,  coo-o  to  its  source  in 
the  thick  foliage  in  some  tree  in  an  out-of-the-way  corner  of  the 
farm,  or  to  an  evergreen  near  the  edge  of  the  woods.  The  slow, 
plaintive  notes,  more  like  a  dirge  than  a  love-song,  penetrate  to 
a  surprising  distance.  They  may  not  always  be  the  same  lovers 
we  hear  from  April  to  the  end  of  summer,  but  surely  the  sound 
seems  to  indicate  that  they  are.  The  dove  is  a  shy  bird,  attached 
to  its  gentle  and  refined  mate  with  a  devotion  that  has  passed 
into  a  proverb,  but  caring  little  or  nothing  for  the  society  of  other 
feathered  friends,  and  very  little  for  its  own  kind,  unless  after  the 
nesting  season  has  passed.  In  this  respect  it  differs  widely  from 
its  cousins,  the  wild  pigeons,  flocks  of  which,  numbering  many 
millions,  are  recorded  by  Wilson  and  other  early  writers  before 
the  days  when  netting  these  birds  became  so  fatally  profitable. 

What  the  dove  finds  to  adore  so  ardently  in  the  "shiftless 
housewife,"  as  Mrs.  Wright  calls  his  lady-love,  must  pass  the 
comprehension  of  the  phoebe,  that  constructs  such  an  exquisite 
home,  or  of  a  bustling,  energetic  Jenny  wren,  that  "looketh  well 
to  the  ways  of  her  household  and  eateth  not  the  bread  of  idle- 
ness." She  is  a  flabby,  spineless  bundle  of  flesh  and  pretty 
feathers,  gentle  and  refined  in  manners,  but  slack  and  incompe- 
tent in  all  she  does.  Her  nest  consists  of  a  few  loose  sticks, 
without  rim  or  lining;  and  when  her  two  babies  emerge  from 
the  white  eggs,  that  somehow  do  not  fall  through  or  roll  out  of 
the  rickety  lattice,  their  tender  little  naked  bodies  must  suffer 
from  many  bruises.  We  are  almost  inclined  to  blame  the  incon- 
siderate mother  for  allowing  her  offspring  to  enter  the  world 
unclothed — obviously  not  her  fault,  though  she  is  capable  of  just 
such  negligence.  Fortunate  are  the  baby  doves  when  their  lazy 
mother  scatters  her  makeshift  nest  on  top  of  one  that  a  robin  has 

109 


Blue  and  Bluish 

deserted,  as  she  frequently  does.  It  is  almost  excusable  to  take 
her  young  birds  and  rear  them  in  captivity,  where  they  invariably 
thrive,  mate,  and  live  happily,  unless  death  comes  to  one,  when 
the  other  often  refuses  food  and  grieves  its  life  away. 

In  the  wild  state,  when  the  nesting  season  approaches,  both 
birds  make  curious  acrobatic  flights  above  the  tree-tops;  then, 
after  a  short  sail  in  midair,  they  return  to  their  perch.  This 
appears  to  be  their  only  giddiness  and  frivolity,  unless  a  dust- 
bath  in  the  country  road  might  be  considered  a  dissipation. 

In  the  autumn  a  few  pairs  of  doves  show  slight  gregarious 
tendencies,  feeding  amiably  together  in  the  grain  fields  and  retir- 
ing to  the  same  roost  at  sundown. 

Blue-gray  Gnatcatcher 

(Polioptila  ccenilea)  Gnatcatcher  family 

Called  also  :  SYLVAN  FLYCATCHER 

Length — 4.5  inches.  About  two  inches  smaller  than  the  English 
sparrow. 

Male — Grayish  blue  above,  dull  grayish  white  below.  Grayish 
tips  on  wings.  Tail  with  white  outer  quills  changing  gradu- 
ally through  black  and  white  to  all  black  on  centre  quills. 
Narrow  black  band  over  the  forehead  and  eyes.  Resembles 
in  manner  and  form  a  miniature  catbird. 

Female — More  grayish  and  less  blue,  and  without  the  black  on 
head. 

Range— \}x\\XQ.di  States  to  Canadian  border  on  the  north,  the  Rockies 
on  the  west,  and  the  Atlantic  States,  from  Maine  to  Florida  ; 
most  common  in  the  Middle  States.  A  rare  bird  north  of 
New  Jersey.     Winters  in  Mexico  and  beyond. 

Migrations — May.     September.     Summer  resident. 

In  thick  woodlands,  where  a  stream  that  lazily  creeps  through 
the  mossy,  oozy  ground  attracts  myriads  of  insects  to  its  humid 
neighborhood,  this  tiny  hunter  loves  to  hide  in  the  denser  foliage 
of  the  upper  branches.  He  has  the  habit  of  nervously  flitting 
about  from  twig  to  twig  of  his  relatives,  the  kinglets,  but  unhap- 
pily he  lacks  their  social,  friendly  instincts,  and  therefore  is  rarely 
seen.  Formerly  classed  among  the  warblers,  then  among  the  fly- 
catchers, while  still  as  much  a  lover  of  flies,  gnats,  and  mosquitoes 
as  ever,  his  vocal  powers  have  now  won  for  him  recognition 

no 


Blue  and  Bluish 

among  the  singing  birds.  Some  one  has  likened  his  voice  to  the 
squeak  of  a  mouse,  and  Nuttall  says  it  is  "scarcely  louder,"  which 
is  all  too  true,  for  at  a  little  distance  it  is  quite  inaudible.  But  in 
addition  to  the  mouse-like  call-note,  the  tiny  bird  has  a  rather 
feeble  but  exquisitely  finished  song,  so  faint  it  seems  almost  as  if 
the  bird  were  singing  in  its  sleep. 

If  by  accident  you  enter  the  neighborhood  of  its  nest,  you 
soon  find  out  that  this  timid,  soft-voiced  little  creature  can  be 
roused  to  rashness  and  make  its  presence  disagreeable  to  ears  and 
eyes  alike  as  it  angrily  darts  about  your  unoffending  head,  peck- 
ing at  your  face  and  uttering  its  shrill  squeak  close  to  your  very 
ear-drums.  All  this  excitement  is  in  defence  of  a  dainty,  lichen- 
covered  nest,  whose  presence  you  may  not  have  even  suspected 
before,  and  of  four  or  five  bluish-white,  speckled  eggs  well  be- 
yond reach  in  the  tree-tops. 

During  the  migrations  the  bird  seems  not  unwilling  to  show 
its  delicate,  trim  little  body,  that  has  often  been  likened  to  a  di- 
minutive mocking-bird's,  very  near  the  homes  of  men.  Its  grace- 
ful postures,  its  song  and  constant  motion,  are  sure  to  attract 
attention.  In  Central  Park,  New  York  City,  the  bird  is  not 
unknown. 


Ill 


BROWN,   OLIVE  OR  GRAYISH   BROWN,   AND 
BROWN  AND  GRAY  SPARROWY  BIRDS 


House  Wren 
Carolina  Wren 
Winter  Wren 
Long-billed  Marsh  Wren 
Short-billed  Marsh  Wren 
Brown  Thrasher 
Wilson's  Thrush  or  Veery 
Wood  Thrush 
Hermit  Thrush 
Alice's  Thrush 
Olive-backed  Thrush 
Louisiana  Water  Thrush 
Northern  Water  Thrush 

Flicker 

Meadowlark   and  Western 
Meadowlark 

Horned    Lark    and    Prairie 
Horned  Lark 

Pipit  or  Titlark 

Whippoorwill 

Nighthawk 

Black-billed  Cuckoo 


Yellow-billed  Cuckoo 
Bank  Swallow  and  Rough- 
winged  Swallow 
Cedar  Bird 
Brown  Creeper 
Pine  Siskin 

Smith's  Painted  Longspur 
Lapland  Longspur 
Chipping  Sparrow 
English  Sparrow 
Field  Sparrow 
Fox  Sparrow 
Grasshopper  Sparrow 
Savanna  Sparrow 
Seaside  Sparrow 
Sharp-tailed  Sparrow 
Song  Sparrow 
Swamp  Song  Sparrow 
Tree  Sparrow 
Vesper  Sparrow 
White-crowned  Sparrow 
White-throated  Sparrow 


See  also  winter  plumage  of  the  Bobolink,  Goldfinch,  and  Myrtle  Warbler.  See 
females  of  Red-winged  Blackbird,  Rusty  Blackbird,  the  Crackles,  Bobolink,  Cow- 
bird,  the  Redpolls,  Purple  Finch,  Chewink,  Bluebird,  Indigo  Bunting,  Baltimore 
Orio'le,  Cardinal,  and  of  the  Evening,  the  Blue,  and  the  Rose-breasted  Grosbeaks. 
See  also  Purple  Finch,  the  Redpolls,  Mourning  Dove,  Mocking-bird,  Robin. 


HOUSE   WREN 


BROWN,  OLIVE  OR  GRAYISH  BROWN,  AND 
BROWN   AND   GRAY  SPARROWY  BIRDS 

House  Wren 

(Troglodytes  aedon)  Wren  family 

Length — 4.5  to  5  inches.  Actually  about  one-fourth  smaller  than 
the  English  sparrow;  apparently  only  half  as  large  because 
of  its  erect  tail. 

Male  and  Female — Upper  parts  cinnamon-brown.  Deepest  shade 
on  head  and  neck;  lightest  above  tail,  which  is  more  rufous. 
Back  has  obscure,  dusky  bars  ;  wings  and  tail  are  finely 
barred.  Underneath  whitish,  with  grayish-brown  wash  and 
faint  bands  most  prominent  on  sides. 

Range — North  America,  from  Manitoba  to  the  Gulf  Most  com- 
mon in  the  United  States,  from  the  Mississippi  eastward. 
Winters  south  of  the  Carolinas. 

Migrations — April.     October.     Common  summer  resident. 

Early  some  morning  in  April  there  will  go  off  under  your 
windowthat  most  delightful  of  all  alarm-clocks — the  tiny,  friendly 
house  wren,  just  returned  from  a  long  visit  south.  Like  some 
little  mountain  spring  that,  having  been  imprisoned  by  winter 
ice,  now  bubbles  up  in  the  spring  sunshine,  and  goes  rippling 
along  over  the  pebbles,  tumbling  over  itself  in  merry  cascades, 
so  this  little  wren's  song  bubbles,  ripples,  cascades  in  a  minia- 
ture torrent  of  ecstasy. 

Year  after  year  these  birds  return  to  the  same  nesting  places: 
a  box  set  up  against  the  house,  a  crevice  in  the  barn,  a  niche 
under  the  eaves;  but  once  home,  always  home  to  them.  The 
nest  is  kept  scrupulously  clean  ;  the  house-cleaning,  like  the 
house-building  and  renovating,  being  accompanied  by  the  cheer- 
iest of  songs,  that  makes  the  bird  fairly  tremble  by  its  intensity. 
But  however  angelic  the  voice  of  the  house  wren,  its  temper  can 
put  to  flight  even  the  English  sparrow.  Need  description  go 
further  ? 

IIS 


Brown,  Olive  or  Grayish  Brown,  and  Brown  and  Gray  Sparrowy  Birds 

Six  to  eight  minutely  speckled,  flesh-colored  eggs  suffice  to 
keep  the  nervous,  irritable  parents  in  a  state  bordering  on  frenzy 
whenever  another  bird  comes  near  their  habitation.  With  tail 
erect  and  head  alert,  the  father  mounts  on  guard,  singing  a  per- 
fect ecstasy  of  love  to  his  silent  little  mate,  that  sits  upon  the  nest 
if  no  danger  threatens  ;  but  both  rush  with  passionate  malice 
upon  the  first  intruder,  for  it  must  be  admitted  that  Jenny  wren 
is  a  sad  shrew. 

While  the  little  family  is  being  reared,  or,  indeed,  at  any 
time,  no  one  is  wise  enough  to  estimate  the  millions  of  tiny  in- 
sects from  the  garden  that  find  their  way  into  the  tireless  bills  of 
these  wrens. 

It  is  often  said  that  the  house  wren  remains  at  the  north  all 
the  year,  which,  though  not  a  fact,  is  easily  accounted  for  by  the 
coming  of  the  winter  wrens  just  as  the  others  migrate  in  the 
autumn,  and  by  their  return  to  Canada  when  Jenny  wren  makes 
up  her  feather-bed  under  the  eaves  in  the  spring. 

Carolina  Wren 

(Thryothorus  ludovicianus)  Wren  family 

Called  also:  MOCKING  WREN 

Length — 6  inches.    Just  a  trifle  smaller  than  the  English  sparrow. 

Male  and  Female — Chestnut-brown  above,  A  whitish  streak,  be- 
ginning at  base  of  bill,  passes  through  the  eye  to  the  nape  of 
the  neck.  Throat  whitish.  Under  parts  light  buff-brown. 
Wings  and  tail  finely  barred  with  dark. 

Range— Unitedi  States,  from  Gulf  to  northern  Illinois  and  southern 
New  England. 

Migrations — A  common  resident  except  at  northern  boundary  of 
range,  where  it  is  a  summer  visitor. 

This  largest  of  the  wrens  appears  to  be  the  embodiment  of 
the  entire  family  characteristics:  it  is  exceedingly  active,  nervous, 
and  easily  excited,  quick-tempered,  full  of  curiosity,  peeping  into 
every  hole  and  corner  it  passes,  short  of  flight  as  it  is  of  wing, 
inseparable  from  its  mate  till  parted  by  death,  and  a  gushing 
lyrical  songster  that  only  death  itself  can  silence.  It  also  has  the 
wren-like  preference  for  a  nest  that  is  roofed  over,  but  not  too 
near  the  homes  of  men. 

ii6 


Brown,  Olive  or  Grayish  Brown,  and  Brown  and  Gray  Sparrowy  Birds 

Undergrowths  near  water,  brush  heaps,  rocky  bits  of  wood- 
land, are  favorite  resorts.  The  Carolina  wren  decidedly  objects 
to  being  stared  at,  and  likes  to  dart  out  of  sight  in  the  midst  of 
the  underbrush  in  a  twinkling  while  the  opera-glasses  are  being 
focussed. 

To  let  off  some  of  his  superfluous  vivacity,  Nature  has  pro- 
vided him  with  two  safety-valves  :  one  is  his  voice,  another  is 
his  tail.  With  the  latter  he  gesticulates  in  a  manner  so  expres- 
sive that  it  seems  to  be  a  certain  index  to  what  is  passing  in  his 
busy  little  brain — drooping  it,  after  the  habit  of  the  catbird,  when 
he  becomes  limp  with  the  emotion  of  his  love-song,  or  holding 
it  erect  as,  alert  and  inquisitive,  he  peers  at  the  impudent  intruder 
in  the  thicket  below  his  perch. 

But  it  is  his  joyous,  melodious,  bubbling  song  that  is  his 
chief  fascination.  He  has  so  great  a  variety  of  strains  that  many 
people  have  thought  that  he  learned  them  from  other  birds,  and 
so  have  called  him  what  many  ornithologists  declare  that  he  is 
not — a  mocking  wren.  And  he  is  one  of  the  few  birds  that  sing 
at  night— not  in  his  sleep  or  only  by  moonlight,  but  even  in  the 
total  darkness,  just  before  dawn,  he  gives  us  the  same  wide- 
awake song  that  entrances  us  by  day. 


Winter  Wren 

(Troglodytes  hiemalis)  Wren  family 

Length — 4  to  4.5  inches.  About  one-third  smaller  than  the  Eng- 
lish sparrow.     Apparently  only  half  the  size. 

Male  and  Female — Cinnamon-brown  above,  with  numerous  short, 
dusky  bars.  Head  and  neck  without  markings.  Under- 
neath rusty,  dimly  and  finely  barred  with  dark  brown.  Tail 
short. 

Eange — United  States,  east  and  west,  and  from  North  Carolina  to 
the  Fur  Countries. 

Migrations — October.  April.  Summer  resident.  Commonly  a 
winter  resident  in  the  South  and  Middle  States  only. 

It  all  too  rarely  happens  that  we  see  this  tiny  mouse-like 
wren  in  summer,  unless  we  come  upon  him  suddenly  and  over- 
take him  unawares  as  he  creeps  shyly  over  the  mossy  logs  or 
runs  literally  "like  a  flash"  under  the  fern  and  through  the  tan- 

117 


Brown,  Olive  or  Grayish  Brown,  and  Brown  and  Gray  Sparrowy  Birds 

gled  underbrush  of  the  deep,  cool  woods.     His  presence  there  is 
far  more  likely  to  be  detected  by  the  ear  than  the  eye. 

Throughout  the  nesting  season  music  fairly  pours  from  his 
tiny  throat;  it  bubbles  up  like  champagne;  it  gushes  forth  in  a 
lyrical  torrent  and  overflows  into  every  nook  of  the  forest,  that 
seems  entirely  pervaded  by  his  song.  While  music  is  every- 
where, it  apparently  comes  from  no  particular  point,  and,  search 
as  you  may,  the  tiny  singer  still  eludes,  exasperates,  and  yet 
entrances. 

If  by  accident  you  discover  him  balancing  on  a  swaying 
twig,  never  far  from  the  ground,  with  his  comical  little  tail  erect, 
or  more  likely  pointing  towards  his  head,  what  a  pert,  saucy 
minstrel  he  is  !  You  are  lost  in  amazement  that  so  much  music 
could  come  from  a  throat  so  tiny. 

Comparatively  few  of  his  admirers,  however,  hear  the  exqui- 
site notes  of  this  little  brown  wood-sprite,  for  after  the  nest- 
ing season  is  over  he  finds  little  to  call  them  forth  during  the 
bleak,  snowy  winter  months,  when  in  the  Middle  and  Southern 
States  he  may  properly  be  called  a  neighbor.  Sharp  hunger, 
rather  than  natural  boldness,  drives  him  near  the  homes  of  men, 
where  he  appears  just  as  the  house  wren  departs  for  the  South. 
With  a  forced  confidence  in  man  that  is  almost  pathetic  in  a  bird 
that  loves  the  forest  as  he  does,  he  picks  up  whatever  lies  about 
the  house  or  barn  in  the  shape  of  food — crumbs  from  the  kitchen 
door,  a  morsel  from  the  dog's  plate,  a  little  seed  in  the  barn-yard, 
happily  rewarded  if  he  can  find  a  spider  lurking  in  some  sheltered 
place  to  give  a  flavor  to  the  unrelished  grain.  Now  he  becomes 
almost  tame,  but  we  feel  it  is  only  because  he  must  be. 

The  spot  that  decided  preference  leads  him  to,  either  win- 
ter or  summer,  is  beside  a  bubbling  spring.  In  the  moss 
that  grows  near  it  the  nest  is  placed  in  early  summer,  nearly 
always  roofed  over  and  entered  from  the  side,  in  true  wren-fash- 
ion ;  and  as  the  young  fledglings  emerge  from  the  creamy-white 
eggs,  almost  the  first  lesson  they  receive  from  their  devoted  little 
parents  is  in  the  fine  art  of  bathing.  Even  in  winter  weather, 
when  the  wren  has  to  stand  on  a  rim  of  ice,  he  will  duck  and 
splash  his  diminutive  body.  It  is  recorded  of  a  certain  little 
individual  that  he  was  wont  to  dive  through  the  icy  water  on  a 
December  day.  Evidently  the  wrens,  as  a  family,  are  not  far 
removed  in  the  evolutionary  scale  from  true  water-birds. 

ii8 


LONG-BILLED    MARSH    WREN 


Brown,  Olive  or  Grayish  Brown,  and  Brown  and  Gray  Sparrowy  Birds 

Long-billed  Marsh  Wren 

(Cistothonis  palustris)  Wren  family 

Length — 4,5  to  5.2  inches.  Actually  a  little  smaller  than  the  Eng- 
lish sparrow.     Apparently  half  the  size. 

3Iale  and  Female — Brown  above,  with  white  line  over  the  eye, 
and  the  back  irregularly  and  faintly  streaked  with  white. 
Wings  and  tail  barred  with  darker  cinnamon-brown.  Un- 
derneath white.  Sides  dusky.  Tail  long  and  often  carried 
erect.     Bill  extra  long  and  slender. 

Range — United  States  and  southern  British  America. 

Migrations — May.     September.     Summer  resident. 

Sometimes  when  you  are  gathering  cat-tails  in  the  river 
marshes  an  alert,  nervous  little  brown  bird  rises  startled  from  the 
rushes  and  tries  to  elude  you  as  with  short,  jerky  flight  it  goes 
deeper  and  deeper  into  the  marsh,  where  even  the  rubber  boot 
may  not  follow.  It  closely  resembles  two  other  birds  found  in 
such  a  place,  the  swamp  sparrow  and  the  short-billed  marsh 
wren;  but  you  may  know  by  its  long,  slender  bill  that  it  is  not 
the  latter,  and  by  the  absence  of  a  bright  bay  crown  that  it  is 
not  the  shyest  of  the  sparrows. 

These  marsh  wrens  appear  to  be  especially  partial  to  running 
water;  their  homes  are  not  very  far  from  brooks  and  rivers, 
preferably  those  that  are  affected  in  their  rise  and  flow  by  the 
tides.  They  build  in  colonies,  and  might  be  called  inveterate 
singers,  for  no  single  bird  is  often  permitted  to  finish  his  bubbling 
song  without  half  the  colony  joining  in  a  chorus. 

Still  another  characteristic  of  this  particularly  interesting  bird 
is  its  unique  architectural  effects  produced  with  coarse  grasses 
woven  into  globular  form  and  suspended  in  the  reeds.  Some- 
times adapting  its  nest  to  the  building  material  at  hand,  it  weaves 
it  of  grasses  and  twigs,  and  suspends  it  from  the  limb  of  a  bush 
or  tree  overhanging  the  water,  where  it  swings  like  an  oriole's. 
The  entrance  to  the  nest  is  invariably  on  the  side. 

More  devoted  homebodies  than  these  little  wrens  are  not 
among  the  feathered  tribe.  Once  let  the  hand  of  man  desecrate 
their  nest,  even  before  the  tiny  speckled  eggs  are  deposited  in  it, 
and  off  go  the  birds  to  a  more  inaccessible  place,  where  they  can 
enjoy  their  home  unmolested.  Thus  three  or  four  nests  may  be 
made  in  a  summer. 

X19 


Brown,  Olive  or  Grayish  Brown,  and  Brown  and  Gray  Sparrowy  Birds 

Short-billed   Marsh  Wren 

(Cistothonis  stellaris)  Wren  family 

Length — 4  to  5  inches.  Actually  about  one-third  smaller  than  the 
English  sparrow,  but  apparently  only  half  its  size. 

Male  and  Female — Brown  above,  faintly  streaked  with  white, 
black,  and  buff.  Wings  and  tail  barred  with  same.  Under- 
neath white,  with  buff  and  rusty  tinges  on  throat  and  breast 
Short  bill. 

Range — North  America,  from  Manitoba  southward  in  winter  to 
Gulf  of  Mexico.    Most  common  in  north  temperate  latitudes. 

Migrations — Early  May.     Late  September. 

Where  red-winged  blackbirds  like  to  congregate  in  oozy 
pastures  or  near  boggy  woods,  the  little  short-billed  wren  may 
more  often  be  heard  than  seen,  for  he  is  more  shy,  if  possible, 
than  his  long-billed  cousin,  and  will  dive  down  into  the  sedges 
at  your  approach,  very  much  as  a  duck  disappears  under  water. 
But  if  you  see  him  at  all,  it  is  usually  while  swaying  to  and  fro  as 
he  clings  to  some  tall  stalk  of  grass,  keeping  his  balance  by  the 
nervous,  jerky  tail  motions  characteristic  of  all  the  wrens,  and 
singing  with  all  his  might.  Oftentimes  his  tail  reaches  backward 
almost  to  his  head  in  a  most  exaggerated  wren-fashion. 

Samuels  explains  the  peculiar  habit  both  the  long-billed  and 
the  short-billed  marsh  wrens  have  of  building  several  nests  in 
one  season,  by  the  theory  that  they  are  made  to  protect  the  sit- 
ting female,  for  it  is  noticed  that  the  male  bird  always  lures  a 
visitor  to  an  empty  nest,  and  if  this  does, not  satisfy  his  curiosity, 
to  another  one,  to  prove  conclusively  that  he  has  no  family  in 
prospect. 

Wild  rice  is  an  ideal  nesting  place  for  a  colony  of  these  little 
marsh  wrens.  The  home  is  made  of  sedge  grasses,  softly  lined 
with  the  softer  meadow  grass  or  plant-down,  and  placed  in  a 
tussock  of  tall  grass,  or  even  upon  the  ground.  The  entrance  is 
on  the  side.  But  while  fond  of  moist  places,  both  for  a  home 
and  feeding  ground,  it  will  be  noticed  that  these  wrens  have  no 
special  fondness  for  running  water,  so  dear  to  their  long-billed 
relatives.  Another  distinction  is  that  the  eggs  of  this  species, 
instead  of  being  so  densely  speckled  as  to  look  brown,  are  pure 
white. 


Brown,  Olive  or  Grayish  Brown,  and  Brown  and  Gray  Sparrowy  Birds 

Brown    Thrasher 

( Harporhynclms  rufttsj  Thrasher  and  Mocking-bird  family 

Called  also:  BROWN  THRUSH;  GROUND  THRUSH  ;  RED 
THRUSH  ;  BROWN  MOCKING-BIRD ;  FRENCH  MOCK- 
ING-BIRD; MAVIS 

Length — 1 1  to  1 1. 5  inches.     Fully  an  inch  longer  than  the  robin. 

Male — Rusty  red-brown  or  rufous  above;  darkest  on  wings,  which 
have  two  short  whitish  bands.  Underneath  white,  heavily 
streaked  (except  on  throat)  with  dark-brown,  arrow-shaped 
spots.  Tail  very  long.  Yellow  eyes.  Bill  long  and  curved 
at  tip. 

Female — Paler  than  male. 

Range — United  States  to  Rockies.  Nests  from  Gulf  States  to 
Manitoba  and  Montreal.     Winters  south  of  Virginia. 

Migrations — Late  April.     October.     Common  summer  resident. 

"  There's  a  merry  brown  thrush  sitting  up  in  a  tree; 
He  is  singing  to  me  !    He  is  singing  to  me  ! 
And  what  does  he  say,  little  girl,  little  boy  ? 
'  Oh,  the  world's  running  over  with  joy  ! '  " 

The  hackneyed  poem  beginning  with  this  stanza  that  de- 
lighted our  nursery  days,  has  left  in  our  minds  a  fairly  correct 
impression  of  the  bird.  He  still  proves  to  be  one  of  the  peren- 
nially joyous  singers,  like  a  true  cousin  of  the  wrens,  and  when 
we  study  him  afield,  he  appears  to  give  his  whole  attention  to 
his  song  with  a  self-consciousness  that  is  rather  amusing  than 
the  reverse.  "What  musician  wouldn't  be  conscious  of  his  own 
powers, "  he  seems  to  challenge  us,  "  if  he  possessed  such  a  gift  ?  " 
Seated  on  a  conspicuous  perch,  as  if  inviting  attention  to  his  per- 
formance, with  uplifted  head  and  drooping  tail  he  repeats  the 
one  exultant,  dashing  air  to  which  his  repertoire  is  limited,  with- 
out waiting  for  an  encore.  Much  practice  has  given  the  notes  a 
brilliancy  of  execution  to  be  compared  only  with  the  mocking- 
bird's ;  but  in  spite  of  the  name  "ferruginous  mocking-bird" 
that  Audubon  gave  him,  he  does  not  seem  to  have  the  faculty  of 
imitating  other  birds'  songs.  Thoreau  says  the  Massachusetts 
farmers,  when  planting  their  seed,  always  think  they  hear  the 
thrasher  say,  "  Drop  it,  drop  it — cover  it  up,  cover  it  up— pull  it 
up,  pull  it  up,  pull  it  up." 


Brown,  Olive  or  Grayish  Brown,  and  Brown  and  Gray  Sparrowy  Birds 

One  of  the  shatterings  of  childish  impressions  that  age  too 
often  brings  is  when  we  learn  by  the  books  that  our  "merry 
brown  thrush  "  is  no  thrush  at  all,  but  a  thrasher — first  cousin  to 
the  wrens,  in  spite  of  his  speckled  breast,  large  size,  and  certain 
thrush-like  instincts,  such  as  never  singing  near  the  nest  and 
shunning  mankind  in  the  nesting  season,  to  mention  only  two. 
Certainly  his  bold,  swinging  flight  and  habit  of  hopping  and  run- 
ning over  the  ground  would  seem  to  indicate  that  he  is  not  very 
far  removed  from  the  true  thrushes.  But  he  has  one  undeniable 
wren-like  trait,  that  of  twitching,  wagging,  and  thrashing  his 
long  tail  about  to  help  express  his  emotions.  It  swings  like  a 
pendulum  as  he  rests  on  a  branch,  and  thrashes  about  in  a  most 
ludicrous  way  as  he  is  feeding  on  the  ground  upon  the  worms, 
insects,  and  fruit  that  constitute  his  diet. 

Before  the  fatal  multiplication  of  cats,  and  in  unfrequented, 
sandy  locations  still,  the  thrasher  builds  her  nest  upon  the  ground, 
thus  earning  the  name  "ground  thrush"  that  is  often  given  her  ; 
but  with  dearly  paid-for  wisdom  she  now  most  frequently  selects 
a  low  shrub  or  tree  to  cradle  the  two  broods  that  all  too  early 
in  the  summer  effectually  silence  the  father's  delightful  song. 

Wilson's  Thrush 

(Turdusfuscescens)  Thrush  family 

Called  also:  VEERY;  TAWNY   THRUSH 

Length—']  to  7.5  inches.  About  one-fourth  smaller  than  the 
robin. 

Male  and  Female — Uniform  olive-brown,  with  a  tawny  cast  above. 
Centre  of  the  throat  white,  with  cream-buff  on  sides  of 
throat  and  upper  part  of  breast,  which  is  lightly  spotted  with 
wedge-shaped,  brown  points.  Underneath  white,  or  with 
a  faint  grayish  tinge. 

Range — United  States,  westward  to  plains. 

Migrations — May.     October.     Summer  resident. 

To  many  of  us  the  veery,  as  they  call  the  Wilson's  thrush  in 
New  England,  is  merely  a  voice,  a  sylvan  mystery,  reflecting  the 
sweetness  and  wildness  of  the  forest,  a  vocal  "will-o'-the-wisp" 
that,  after  enticing  us  deeper  and  deeper  into  the  woods,  where 
we  sink  into  the  spongy  moss  of  its  damp  retreats  and  become 

IS2 


Brown,  Olive  or  Grayish  Brown,  and  Brown  and  Gray  Sparrowy  Birds 

entangled  in  the  wild  grape-vines  twined  about  the  saplings 
and  underbrush,  still  sings  to  us  from  unapproachable  tangles. 
Plainly,  if  we  want  to  see  the  bird,  we  must  let  it  seek  us  out  on 
the  fallen  log  where  we  have  sunk  exhausted  in  the  chase. 

Presently  a  brown  bird  scuds  through  the  fern.  It  is  a 
thrush,  you  guess  in  a  minute,  from  its  slender,  graceful  body. 
At  first  you  notice  no  speckles  on  its  breast,  but  as  it  comes 
nearer,  obscure  arrow-heads  are  visible — not  heavy,  heart-shaped 
spots  such  as  plentifully  speckle  the  larger  wood  thrush  or  the 
smaller  hermit.  It  is  the  smallest  of  the  three  commoner  thrushes, 
and  it  lacks  the  ring  about  the  eye  that  both  the  others  have. 
Shy  and  elusive,  it  slips  away  again  in  a  most  unfriendly  fashion, 
and  is  lost  in  the  wet  tangle  before  you  have  become  acquainted. 
You  determine,  however,  before  you  leave  the  log,  to  cultivate 
the  acquaintance  of  this  bird  the  next  spring,  when,  before  it 
mates  and  retreats  to  the  forest,  it  comes  boldly  into  the  gardens 
and  scratches  about  in  the  dry  leaves  on  the  ground  for  the  lurk- 
ing insects  beneath.  Miss  Florence  Merriam  tells  of  having  drawn 
a  number  of  veeries  about  her  by  imitating  their  call-note,  which 
is  a  whistled  wheew,  whoit,  very  easy  to  counterfeit  when  once 
heard.  "  Taweel-ah,  taweel-ah,  twil-ah,  twil-ah!"  Professor 
Ridgeway  interprets  their  song,  that  descends  in  a  succession  of 
trills  without  break  or  pause  ;  but  no  words  can  possibly  con- 
vey an  idea  of  the  quality  of  the  music.  The  veery,  that  never 
claims  an  audience,  sings  at  night  also,  and  its  weird,  sweet 
strains  floating  through  the  woods  at  dusk,  thrill  one  like  the 
mysterious  voice  of  a  disembodied  spirit. 

Whittier  mentions  the  veery  in  "  The  Playmate  "  : 

"  And  here  in  spring  the  veeries  sing 
The  song  of  long  ago." 

Wood  Thrush 

(Turdtis  nmstelimis)  Thrush  family 

Called  also :  SO^G  THRUSH;    WOOD   ROBIN;    BELLBIRD 

Length—^  to  8.3  inches.     About  two  inches  shorter  than  th( 
robin. 

Male  and  Female — Brown  above,  reddish  on  head  and  shoulder.^ 
and  shading  into  olive-brown  on  tail.     Throat,  breast,  arva 
underneath  white,  plain  in  the  middle,  but  heavily  marked 

123 


Brown,  Olive  or  Grayish  Brown,  and  Brown  and  Gray  Sparrowy  Birds 

on  sides  and  breast  with  heart-shaped  spots  of  very  dark 
brown.     Whitish  eye-ring. 
Migrations — Late  April  or  early  May.    October.    Summer  resident 

When  Nuttall  wrote  of  "this  solitary  and  retiring  songster," 
before  the  country  was  as  thickly  settled  as  it  is  to-day,  it  possi- 
bly had  not  developed  the  confidence  in  men  that  now  distin- 
guishes the  wood  thrush  from  its  shy  congeners  that  are  distinctly 
wood  birds,  which  it  can  no  longer  strictly  be  said  to  be.  In  city 
parks  and  country  places,  where  plenty  of  trees  shade  the  village 
streets  and  lawns,  it  comes  near  you,  half  hopping,  half  running, 
with  dignified  unconsciousness  and  even  femiliarity,  all  the  more 
delightful  in  a  bird  whose  family  instincts  should  take  it  into 
secluded  woodlands  with  their  shady  dells.  Perhaps,  in  its  heart 
of  hearts,  it  still  prefers  such  retreats.  Many  conservative  wood 
thrushes  keep  to  their  wild  haunts,  and  it  must  .be  owned  not  a 
few  liberals,  that  discard  family  traditions  at  other  times,  seek  the 
forest  at  nesting  time.  But  social  as  the  wood  thrush  is  and 
abundant,  too,  it  is  also  eminently  high-bred ;  and  when  contrasted 
with  its  tawny  cousin,  the  veery,  that  skulks  away  to  hide  in  the 
nearest  bushes  as  you  approach,  or  with  the  hermit  thrush,  that 
pours  out  its  heavenly  song  in  the  solitude  of  the  forest,  how 
gracious  and  full  of  gentle  confidence  it  seems!  Every  gesture  is 
graceful  and  elegant;  even  a  wriggling  beetle  is  eaten  as  daintily 
as  caviare  at  the  king's  table.  It  is  only  when  its  confidence  in 
you  is  abused,  and  you  pass  too  near  the  nest,  that  might  easily 
be  mistaken  for  a  robin's,  just  above  your  head  in  a  sapling,  that 
the  wood  thrush  so  far  forgets  itself  as  to  become  excited.  Pit, 
■pit,  pit,  sharply  reiterated,  is  called  out  at  you  with  a  strident 
quality  in  the  tone  that  is  painful  evidence  of  the  fearful  anxiety 
your  presence  gives  this  gentle  bird. 

Too  many  guardians  of  nests,  whether  out  of  excessive  hap- 
piness or  excessive  stupidity,  have  a  dangerous  habit  of  singing 
very  near  them.  Not  so  the  wood  thrush.  "Come  to  me,"  as 
the  opening  notes  of  its  flute-like  song  have  been  freely  trans- 
lated, invites  the  intruder  far  away  from  where  the  blue  eggs  lie 
cradled  in  ambush.  "  Uoli-a-e-o-li-noli-nol-aeolee-lee !  "  is  as 
good  a  rendering  into  syllables  of  the  luscious  song  as  could  very 
well  be  made.  Pure,  liquid,  rich,  and  luscious,  it  rings  out  from 
the  trees  on  the  summer  air  and  penetrates  our  home  like  a  strain 
of  music  from  a  stringed  quartette. 

124 


Brown,  Olive  or  Grayish  Brown,  and  Brown  and  Gray  Sparrowy  Birds 

Hermit  Thrush 

(Turdus  aonalaschkce  pallasii)  Thrush  family 

Called  also:   SWAMP  ANGEL;  LITTLE  THRUSH 

Length — 7.25  to  7.5  inches.  About  one-fourth  smaller  than  the 
robin, 

Male  and  Female — Upper  parts  olive-brown,  reddening  near  the 
tail,  which  is  pale  rufous,  quite  distinct  from  the  color  of  the 
back.  Throat,  sides  of  neck,  and  breast  pale  buff.  Feathers 
of  throat  and  neck  finished  with  dark  arrow-points  at  tip; 
feathers  of  the  breast  have  larger  rounded  spots.  Sides 
brownish  gray.  Underneath  white.  A  yellow  ring  around 
the  eye.     Smallest  of  the  thrushes. 

Range — Eastern  parts  of  North  America.  Most  common  in  the 
United  States  to  the  plains.  Winters  from  southern  Illinois 
and  New  Jersey  to  Gulf 

Migrations — April.     November.     Summer  resident. 

The  first  thrush  to  come  and  the  last  to  go,  nevertheless  the 
hermit  is  little  seen  throughout  its  long  visit  north.  It  may 
loiter  awhile  in  the  shrubby  roadsides,  in  the  garden  or  the  parks 
in  the  spring  before  it  begins  the  serious  business  of  life  in 
a  nest  of  moss,  coarse  grass,  and  pine-needles  placed  on  the 
ground  in  the  depths  of  the  forest,  but  by  the  middle  of  May  its 
presence  in  the  neighborhood  of  our  homes  becomes  only  a  mem- 
ory. Although  one  never  hears  it  at  its  best  during  the  migra- 
tions, how  one  loves  to  recall  the  serene,  ethereal  evening  hymn! 
"The  finest  sound  in  Nature,"  John  Burroughs  calls  it.  "It  is 
not  a  proud,  gorgeous  strain  like  the  tanager's  or  the  grosbeak's," 
he  says;  "it  suggests  no  passion  or  emotion — nothing  personal, 
but  seems  to  be  the  voice  of  that  calm,  sweet  solemnity  one 
attains  to  in  his  best  moments.  It  realizes  a  peace  and  a  deep, 
solemn  joy  that  only  the  finest  souls  may  know." 

Beyond  the  question  of  even  the  hypercritical,  the  hermit 
thrush  has  a  more  exquisitely  beautiful  voice  than  any  other 
American  bird,  and  only  the  nightingale's  of  Europe  can  be  com- 
pared with  it.  It  is  the  one  theme  that  exhausts  all  the  ornithol- 
ogists' musical  adjectives  in  a  vain  attempt  to  convey  in  words 
any  idea  of  it  to  one  who  has  never  heard  it,  for  the  quality  of 
the  song  is  as  elusive  as  the  bird  itself  But  why  should  the 
poets  be  so  silent  ?    Why  has  it  not  called  forth  such  verse  as  the 

125 


Brown,  Olive  or  Grayish  Brown,  and  Brown  and  Gray  Sparrowy  Birds 

English  poets  have  lavished  upon  the  nightingale  ?  Undoubtedly 
because  it  lifts  up  its  heavenly  voice  in  the  solitude  of  the  forest, 
whereas  the  nightingales,  singing  in  loud  choruses  in  the  moon- 
light under  the  poet's  very  window,  cannot  but  impress  his 
waking  thoughts  and  even  his  dreams  with  their  melody. 

Since  the  severe  storm  and  cold  in  the  Gulf  States  a  few  win- 
ters ao-o,  where  vast  numbers  of  hermit  thrushes  died  from  cold 
and  starvation,  this  bird  has  been  very  rare  in  haunts  where  it 
used  to  be  abundant.  The  other  thrushes  escaped  because  they 
spend  the  winter  farther  south. 

Alice's  Thrush 

(Turdus  alicice)  Thrush  family 

Called  also:  GRAY-CHEEKED   THRUSH 

Length — 7.5  to  8  inches.     About  the  size  of  the  bluebird. 

Male  and  Feinale — Upper  parts  uniform  olive-brown.  Eye-ring 
whitish.  Cheeks  gray;  sides  dull  grayish  white.  Sides  of 
the  throat  and  breast  pale  cream-buff,  speckled  with  arrow- 
shaped  points  on  throat  and  with  half-round  dark-brown 
marks  below. 

Range — North  America,  from  Labrador  and  Alaska  to  Central 
America. 

Migrations — Late  April  or  May.  October.  Chiefly  seen  in  migra- 
tions, except  at  northern  parts  of  its  range. 

One  looks  for  a  prettier  bird  than  this  least  attractive  of  all 
th-e  thrushes  in  one  that  bears  such  a  suggestive  name.  Like  the 
olive-backed  thrush,  from  which  it  is  almost  impossible  to  tell  it 
when  both  are  alive  and  hopping  about  the  shrubbery,  its  plu- 
mage above  is  a  dull  olive-brown  that  is  more  protective  than 
pleasing. 

Just  as  Wilson  hopelessly  confused  the  olive-backed  thrush 
with  the  hermit,  so  has  Alice's  thrush  been  confounded  by  later 
writers  with  the  olive-backed,  from  which  it  differs  chiefly  in 
being  a  trifle  larger,  in  having  gray  cheeks  instead  of  buff,  and  in 
possessing  a  few  faint  streaks  on  the  throat.  Where  it  goes  to 
make  a  home  for  its  greenish-blue  speckled  eggs  in  some  low 
bush  at  the  northern  end  of  its  range,  it  bursts  into  song,  but 
except  in   the  nesting  grounds  its  voice  is  never  heard.     Mr. 

126 


Brown,  Olive  or  Grayish  Brown,  and  Brown  and  Gray  Sparrowy  Birds 

Bradford  Torrey,  who  heard  it  singing  in  the  White  Mountains, 
describes  the  song  as  like  the  thrush's  in  quality,  but  differently 
accented :  "  JVee-o-wee-o-tit-ti-wee-o  !  " 

In  New  England  and  New  York  this  thrush  is  most  often 
seen  during  its  autumn  migrations.  As  it  starts  up  and  perches 
upon  a  low  branch  before  you,  it  appears  to  have  longer  legs  and 
a  broader,  squarer  tail  than  its  congeners. 


Ollve-backed  Thrush 
(Turdus  ustiilatiis  swainsonii)  Thrush  family 

Called  also:   SWAINSON'S  THRUSH 

Length — 7  to  7.50  inches.     About  one-fourth  smaller  than  the 

robin. 
Male  and  Female — Upper  parts  olive-brown.     Whole  throat  and 

breast  yellow-buff,  shading  to  ashy  on  sides  and  to  white 

underneath.     Buff  ring  around  eye.     Dark  streaks  on  sides 

of  throat  (none  on  centre),  and  larger,  more  spot-like  marks 

on  breast. 
Range — North  America  to  Rockies  ;  a  few  stragglers  on  Pacific 

slope.     Northward  to  arctic  countries. 
Migrations — April.       October.       Summer    resident    in    Canada. 

Chiefly  a  migrant  in  United  States. 

Mr.  Parkhurst  tells  of  finding  this  "the  commonest  bird  in 
the  Park  (Central  Park,  New  York),  not  even  excepting  the  robin," 
during  the  last  week  of  May  on  a  certain  year  ;  but  usually,  it 
must  be  owned,  we  have  to  be  on  the  lookout  to  find  it,  or  it 
will  pass  unnoticed  in  the  great  companies  of  more  conspicuous 
birds  travelling  at  the  same  time.  White-throated  sparrows 
often  keep  it  company  on  the  long  journeys  northward,  and  they 
may  frequently  be  seen  together,  hopping  sociably  about  the 
garden,  the  thrush  calling  out  a  rather  harsh  note— pttk  /  puk  ! — 
quite  different  from  the  liquid,  mellow  calls  of  the  other  thrushes, 
to  resent  either  the  sparrows'  bad  manners  or  the  inquisitiveness 
of  a  human  disturber  of  its  peace.  But  this  gregarious  habit  and 
neighborly  visit  end  even  before  acquaintance  fairly  begins,  and 
the  thrushes  are  off  for  their  nesting  grounds  in  the  pine  woods 
of  New  England  or  Labrador  if  they  are  travelling  up  the  east 
coast,  or  to  Alaska,  British  Columbia,  or  Manitoba  if  west  of  the 

127 


Brown,  Olive  or  Grayish  Brown,  and  Brown  and  Gray  Sparrowy  Birds 

Mississippi.     There  they  stay  all  summer,  often  travelling  south- 
ward with  the  sparrows  in  the  autumn,  as  in  the  spring. 

Why  they  should  prefer  coniferous  trees,  unless  to  utilize  the 
needles  for  a  nest,  is  not  understood.  Low  trees  and  bushes  are 
favorite  building  sites  with  them  as  with  others  of  the  family, 
though  these  thrushes  disdain  a  mud  lining  to  their  nests.  Those 
who  have  heard  the  olive-backed  thrush  singing  an  even-song 
to  its  brooding  mate  compare  it  with  the  veery's,  but  it  has  a 
break  in  it  and  is  less  simple  and  pleasing  than  the  latter's. 

Louisiana  Water  Thrush 

(Seiurus  motacilla)  Wood  Warbler  family 

£ength—6  to  6.28  inches.  Just  a  trifle  smaller  than  the  English 
sparrow. 

Male  and  Female — Grayish  olive-brown  upper  parts,  with  con- 
spicuous white  line  over  the  eye  and  reaching  almost  to  the 
nape.  Underneath  white,  tinged  with  pale  buff.  Throat 
and  line  through  the  middle,  plain.  Other  parts  streaked 
with  very  dark  brown,  rather  faintly  on  the  breast,  giving 
them  the  speckled  breast  of  the  thrushes.     Heavy,  dark  bill. 

Ra7ige—\}x\\\.tdi  States,  westward  to  the  plains  ;  northward  to 
southern  New  England.     Wmters  in  the  tropics. 

Migratio7is — Late  April.     October.     Summer  resident. 

This  bird,  that  so  delighted  Audubon  with  its  high-trilled 
song  as  he  tramped  with  indefatigable  zeal  through  the  hammocks 
of  the  Gulf  States,  seems  to  be  almost  the  counterpart  of  the 
Northern  water  thrush,  just  as  the  loggerhead  is  the  Southern 
counterpart  of  the  Northern  shrike.  Very  many  Eastern  birds 
have  their  duplicates  in  Western  species,  as  we  all  know,  and  it  is 
most  interesting  to  trace  the  slight  external  variations  that  differ- 
ent climates  and  diet  have  produced  on  the  same  bird,  and  thus 
differentiated  the  species.  In  winter  the  Northern  water  thrush 
visits  the  cradle  of  its  kind,  the  swamps  of  Louisiana  and  Florida, 
and,  no  doubt,  by  daily  contact  with  its  congeners  there,  keeps 
close  to  their  cherished  traditions,  from  which  it  never  deviates 
fiirther  than  Nature  compels,  though  it  penetrate  to  the  arctic 
regions  during  its  summer  journeys. 

With  a  more  southerly  range,  the  Louisiana  water  thrush 
does  not  venture  beyond  the  White  Mountains  and  to  the  shores 
of  the  Great  Lakes  in  summer,  but  even  at  the  North  the  same 

128 


Brown,  Olive  or  Grayish  Brown,  and  Brown  and  Gray  Sparrowy  Birds 

woods  often  contain  both  birds,  and  there  is  opportunity  to  note 
just  how  much  they  differ.  The  Southern  bird  is  slightly  the 
larger,  possibly  an  inch ;  it  is  more  gray,  and  it  lacks  a  few  of  the 
streaks,  notably  on  the  throat,  that  plentifully  speckle  its  Northern 
counterpart;  but  the  habits  of  both  of  these  birds  appear  to  be 
identical.  Only  for  a  few  days  in  the  spring  or  autumn  migra- 
tions do  they  pass  near  enough  to  our  homes  for  us  to  study 
them,  and  then  we  must  ever  be  on  the  alert  to  steal  a  glance  at 
them  through  the  opera-glasses,  for  birds  more  shy  than  they 
do  not  visit  the  garden  shrubbery  at  any  season.  Only  let  them 
suspect  they  are  being  stared  at,  and  they  are  under  cover  in  a 
twinkling. 

Where  mountain  streams  dash  through  tracts  of  mossy, 
spongy  ground  that  is  carpeted  with  fern  and  moss,  and  over- 
grown with  impenetrable  thickets  of  underbrush  and  tangles  of 
creepers — such  a  place  is  the  favorite  resort  of  both  the  water 
thrushes.  With  a  rubber  boot  missing,  clothes  torn,  and  temper 
by  no  means  unruffled,  you  finally  stand  over  the  Louisiana 
thrush's  nest  in  the  roots  of  an  upturned  tree  immediately  over 
the  water,  or  else  in  a  mossy  root-belaced  bank  above  a  purling 
stream.  A  liquid-trilled  warble,  wild  and  sweet,  breaks  the  still- 
ness, and,  like  Audubon,  you  feel  amply  rewarded  for  your  pains, 
though  you  may  not  be  prepared  to  agree  with  him  in  thinking 
the  song  the  equal  of  the  European  nightingale's. 


Northern  Water  Thrush 

fSemrus  noveboracensis)  Wood  Warbler  family 

Called  also :    NEW    YORK    WATER    THRUSH  ;    AQUATIC 
WOOD   WAGTAIL;    AQUATIC   THRUSH 

Length — 5  to  6  inches.     A  trifle  smaller  than  the  English  sparrow, 

Alale  arid  Female — Uniform  olive  or  grayish  brown  above.  Pale 
buff  line  over  the  eye.  Underneath,  white  tinged  with  sul- 
phur-yellow, and  streaked  like  a  thrush  with  very  dark  brown 
arrow-headed  or  oblong  spots  that  are  also  seen  underneath 
wings. 

Eange — United  States,  westward  to  Rockies  and  northward 
through  British  provinces.  Winters  from  Gulf  States  south- 
ward. 

Migrations — Late  April.     October.     Summer  resident. 

129 


Brown,  Olive  or  Grayish  Brown,  and  Brown  and  Gray  Sparrowy  Birds 

According  to  the  books  we  have  before  us,  a  warbler;  but 
who,  to  look  at  his  speckled  throat  and  breast,  would  ever  take 
him  for  anything  but  a  diminutive  thrush ;  or,  studying  him  from 
some  distance  through  the  opera-glasses  as  he  runs  in  and  out  of 
the  little  waves  along  the  brook  or  river  shore,  would  not  name 
him  a  baby  sandpiper  ?  The  rather  unsteady  motion  of  his  legs, 
balancing  of  the  tail,  and  sudden  jerking  of  the  head  suggest  an 
aquatic  bird  rather  than  a  bird  of  the  woods.  But  to  really  know 
either  man  or  beast,  you  must  follow  him  to  his  home,  and  if  you 
have  pluck  enough  to  brave  the  swamp  and  the  almost  impene- 
trable tangle  of  undergrowth  where  the  water  thrush  chooses  to 
nest,  there  "  In  the  swamp  in  secluded  recesses,  a  shy  and  hidden 
bird  is  warbling  a  song;  "  and  this  warbled  song  that  Walt  Whit- 
man so  adored  gives  you  your  first  clue  to  the  proper  classification 
of  the  bird.  It  has  nothing  in  common  with  the  serene,  hymn-like 
voices  of  the  true  thrushes  ;  the  bird  has  no  flute-like  notes,  but 
an  emphatic  smacking  or  chucking  kind  of  warble.  For  a  few 
days  only  is  this  song  heard  about  the  gardens  and  roadsides  of 
our  country  places.  Like  the  Louisiana  water  thrush,  this  bird 
never  ventures  near  the  homes  of  men  after  the  spring  and  autumn 
migrations,  but,  on  the  contrary,  goes  as  far  away  from  them  as 
possible,  preferably  to  some  mountain  region,  beside  a  cool  and 
dashing  brook,  where  a  party  of  adventurous  young  climbers 
from  a  summer  hotel  or  the  lonely  trout  fisherman  may  startle  it 
from  its  mossy  nest  on  the  ground. 

Flicker 

(Colaptes  auratus)  Woodpecker  family 

Called  also:  GOLDEN-WINGED  WOODPECKER;  CLAPE  ; 
PIGEON  WOODPECKER  ;  YELLOWHAMMER  ;  HIGH- 
HOLE  OR  HIGH-HOLDER  ;  YARUP  ;  WAKE-UP  ; 
YELLOW-SHAFTED    WOODPECKER 

Length — 12  to  13  inches.  About  one-fourth  as  large  again  as  the 
robin. 

Male  and  Female — Head  and  neck  bluish  gray,  with  a  red  crescent 
across  back  of  neck  and  a  black  crescent  on  breast.  Male 
has  black  cheek-patches,  that  are  wanting  in  female.  Golden 
brown  shading  into  brownish-gray,  and  barred  with  black 
above.     Underneath   whitish,   tinged   with   light  chocolate 

130 


FLICKER 


Brown,  Olive  or  Grayish  Brown,  and  Brown  and  Gray  Sparrowy  Birds 

and  thickly  spotted  with  black.  Wing  linings,  shafts  of 
wing,  and  tail-quills  bright  yellow.  Above  tail  white,  con- 
spicuous when  the  bird  flies. 

Range — United  States,  east  of  Rockies;  Alaska  and  British  Amer- 
ica, south  of  Hudson  Bay.     Occasional  on  Pacific  slope. 

Migrations — Most  commonly  seen  from  April  to  October.  Usu- 
ally resident. 

If  we  were  to  follow  the  list  of  thirty-six  aliases  by  which 
this  largest  and  commonest  of  our  woodpeckers  is  known 
throughout  its  wide  range,  we  should  find  all  its  peculiarities  of 
color,  flight,  noises,  and  habits  indicated  in  its  popular  names. 
It  cannot  but  attract  attention  wherever  seen,  with  its  beauti- 
ful plumage,  conspicuously  yellow  if  its  outstretched  wings  are 
looked  at  from  below,  conspicuously  brown  and  white  if  seen 
upon  the  ground.  At  a  distance  it  suggests  the  meadowlark. 
Both  birds  wear  black,  crescent  breast  decorations,  and  the  flicker 
also  has  the  habit  of  feeding  upon  the  ground,  especially  in 
autumn,  a  characteristic  not  shared  by  its  relations. 

Early  in  the  spring  this  bird  of  many  names  and  many  voices 
makes  itself  known  by  a  long,  strong,  sonorous  call,  a  sort  of 
proclamation  that  differs  from  its  song  proper,  which  Audubon 
calls  "a  prolonged  jovial  laugh  "  (described  by  Mrs.  Wright  as 
"Wick,  wick,  wick,  wick!"),  and  differs  also  from  its  rapidly 
repeated,  mellow,  and  most  musical  cuh,  cuh,  cub,  cub,  cut, 
uttered  during  the  nesting  season. 

Its  nasal  kee-yer,  vigorously  called  out  in  the  autumn,  is  less 
characteristic,  however,  than  the  sound  it  makes  while  associat- 
ing with  its  fellows  on  the  feeding  ground — a  sound  that  Mr. 
Frank  M.  Chapman  says  can  be  closely  imitated  by  the  swishing 
of  a  willow  wand. 

A  very  ardent  and  ridiculous-looking  lover  is  this  bird,  as, 
with  tail  stiffly  spread,  he  sidles  up  to  his  desired  mate  and  bows 
and  bobs  before  her,  then  retreats  and  advances,  bowing  and 
bobbing  again,  very  often  with  a  rival  lover  beside  him  (whom 
he  generously  tolerates)  trying  to  outdo  him  in  grace  and  general 
attractiveness.  Not  the  least  of  the  bird's  qualities  that  must 
commend  themselves  to  the  bride  is  his  unfailing  good  nature, 
genial  alike  in  the  home  and  in  the  field. 

The  "  high-holders  "  have  the  peculiar  and  silly  habit  of  bor- 
ing out  a  number  of  superfluous  holes  for  nests  high  up  in  the 

131 


Brown,  Olive  or  Grayish  Brown,  and  Brown  and  Gray  Sparrowy  'Birds 

trees,  in  buildings,  or  hollow  wooden  columns,  only  one  of 
which  they  intend  to  use.  Six  white  eggs  is  the  proper  number 
for  a  household,  but  Dr.  Coues  says  the  female  that  has  been 
robbed  keeps  on  laying  three  or  even  four  sets  of  eggs  without 
interruption. 

Meadowlark 

(Sturnella  magna)  Blackbird  family 

Called  also:   FIELD  LARK;  OLDFIELD  LARK 

Length — lo  to  1 1  inches.     A  trifle  larger  than  the  robin. 

Male — Upper  parts  brown,  varied  with  chestnut,  deep  brown,  and 
black.  Crown  streaked  with  brown  and  black,  and  with  a 
cream-colored  streak  through  the  centre.  Dark-brown  line 
apparently  running  through  the  eye  ;  another  line  over  the 
eye,  yellow.  Throat  and  chin  yellow  ;  a  large,  conspicuous 
black  crescent  on  breast.  Underneath  yellow,  shading  into 
buffy  brown,  spotted  or  streaked  with  very  dark  brown. 
Outer  tail  feathers  chiefly  white,  conspicuous  in  flight.  Long, 
strong  legs  and  claws,  adapted  for  walking.  Less  black  in 
winter  plumage,  which  is  more  grayish  brown. 

Female — Paler  than  male. 

Range — North  America,  from  Newfoundland  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico, 
and  westward  to  the  plains,  where  the  Western  meadowlark 
takes  its  place.  Winters  from  Massachusetts  and  Illinois 
southward. 

Migrations — April.  Late  October.  Usually  a  resident,  a  few  re- 
maining through  the  winter. 

In  the  same  meadows  with  the  red-winged  blackbirds,  birds 
of  another  feather,  but  of  the  same  family,  nevertheless,  may  be 
found  flocking  together,  hunting  for  worms  and  larvse,  building 
their  nests,  and  rearing  their  young  very  near  each  other  with 
the  truly  social  instinct  of  all  their  kin. 

The  meadowlarks,  which  are  really  not  larks  at  all,  but  the 
blackbirds'  and  orioles'  cousins,  are  so  protected  by  the  coloring 
of  the  feathers  on  their  backs,  like  that  of  the  grass  and  stub- 
ble they  live  among,  that  ten  blackbirds  are  noticed  for  every 
meadowlark,  although  the  latter  is  very  common.  Not  until  you 
flush  a  flock  of  them  as  you  walk  along  the  roadside  or  through 
the  meadows  and  you  note  the  white  tail  feathers  and  the  black 
crescents  on  the  yellow  breasts  of  the  large  brown  birds  that  rise 

132 


MEADOWLARK 


Brown,  Olive  or  Grayish  Brown,  and  Brown  and  Gray  Sparrowy  Birds 

towards  the  tree-tops  with  whirring  sound  and  a  flight  suggest- 
ing the  quail's,  do  you  suspect  there  are  any  birds  among  the 
tail  grasses. 

Their  clear  and  piercing  whistle,  "Spring  o'  the  y-e-a^r. 
Spring  o'  the  year  !  "  rings  out  from  the  trees  with  varying  in- 
tonation and  accent,  but  always  sweet  and  inspiriting.  To  the 
bird's  high  vantage  ground  you  may  not  follow,  for  no  longer 
having  the  protection  of  the  high  grass,  it  has  become  wary  and 
flies  away  as  you  approach,  calling  out  peent-peent  and  nervously 
flitting  its  tail  (again  showing  the  white  feather),  when  it  rests  a 
moment  on  the  pasture  fence-rail. 

It  is  like  looking  for  a  needle  in  a  haystack  to  try  to  find  a 
meadowlark's  nest,  an  unpretentious  structure  of  dried  grasses 
partly  arched  over  and  hidden  in  a  clump  of  high  timothy,  flat 
upon  the  ground.  But  what  havoc  snakes  and  field-mice  play 
with  the  white-speckled  eggs  and  helpless  fledglings  !  The  care 
of  rearing  two  or  three  broods  in  a  season  and  the  change  of 
plumage  to  duller  winter  tints  seem  to  exhaust  the  high  spirits  of 
the  sweet  whistler.  For  a  time  he  is  silent,  but  partly  regains  his 
vocal  powers  in  the  autumn,  when,  with  large  flocks  of  his  own 
kind,  he  resorts  to  marshy  feeding  grounds.  In  the  winter  he 
chooses  for  companions  the  horned  larks,  that  walk  along  the 
shore,  or  the  snow  buntings  and  sparrows  of  the  inland  pastures, 
and  will  even  include  the  denizens  of  the  barn-yard  when  hunger 
drives  him  close  to  the  haunts  of  men. 

The  Western  Meadowlark  or  Prairie  Lark  (Sturnella  magna 
neglecta),  which  many  ornithologists  consider  a  different  species 
from  the  foregoing,  is  distinguished  chiefly  by  its  lighter,  more 
grayish-brown  plumage,  by  its  yellow  cheeks,  and  more  espe- 
cially by  its  richer,  fuller  song.  In  his  "  Birds  of  Manitoba"  Mr. 
Ernest  E.  Thompson  says  of  this  meadowlark  :  "In  richness  of 
voice  and  modulation  it  equals  or  excels  both  wood  thrush  and 
nightingale,  and  in  the  beauty  of  its  articulation  it  has  no  superior 
in  the  whole  world  of  feathered  choristers  with  which  I  am 
acquainted." 


Brown,  Olive  or  Grayish  Brown,  and  Brown  and  Gray  Sparrowy  Birds 

Horned  Lark 

(Otocoris  alpestris)  Lark  family 
Called  also:  SHORE  LARK 

Length — 7.5  to  8  inches.     About  one-fifth  smaller  than  the  robin. 

J/<2/^— Upper  parts  dull  brown,  streaked  with  lighter  on  edges 
and  tinged  with  pink  or  vinaceous;  darkest  on  back  of  head, 
neck,  shoulders,  and  nearest  the  tail.  A  few  erectile  feathers 
on  either  side  of  the  head  form  slight  tufts  or  horns  that  are 
wanting  in  female,  A  black  mark  from  the  base  of  the  bill 
passes  below  the  eye  and  ends  in  a  horn-shaped  curve  on 
cheeks,  which  are  yellow.  Throat  clear  yellow.  Breast  has 
crescent-shaped  black  patch.  Underneath  soiled  white,  with 
dusky  spots  on  lower  breast.  Tail  black,  the  outer  feathers 
margined  with  white,  noticed  in  flight. 

Female — Has  yellow  eye-stripe;  less  prominent  markings,  espe- 
cially on  head,  and  is  a  trifle  smaller. 

Range — Northeastern  parts  of  North  America,  and  in  winter 
from  Ohio  and  eastern  United  States  as  far  south  as  North 
Carolina. 

Migratiofis — October  and  November.     March.     Winter  resident. 

Far  away  to  the  north  in  Greenland  and  Labrador  this  true 
lark,  the  most  beautiful  of  its  genus,  makes  its  summer  home. 
There  it  is  a  conspicuously  handsome  bird  with  its  pinkish-gray 
and  chocolate  feathers,  that  have  greatly  faded  into  dull  browns 
when  we  see  them  in  the  late  autumn.  In  the  far  north  only 
does  it  sing,  and,  according  to  Audubon,  the  charming  song  is 
flung  to  the  breeze  while  the  bird  soars  like  a  skylark.  In  the 
United  States  we  hear  only  its  call-note. 

Great  flocks  come  down  the  Atlantic  coast  in  October  and 
November,  and  separate  into  smaller  bands  that  take  up  their  resi- 
dence in  sandy  stretches  and  open  tracts  near  the  sea  or  wher- 
ever the  food  supply  looks  promising,  and  there  the  larks  stay 
until  all  the  seeds,  buds  of  bushes,  berries,  larvae,  and  insects  in 
their  chosen  territory  are  exhausted.  They  are  ever  conspicu- 
ously ground  birds,  walkers,  and  when  disturbed  at  their  dinner, 
prefer  to  squat  on  the  earth  rather  than  expose  themselves  by 
flight.  Sometimes  they  run  nimbly  over  the  frozen  ground  to 
escape  an  intruder,  but  flying  they  reserve  as  a  last  resort.  When 
the  visitor  has  passed  they  quickly  return  to  their  dinner.  If  they 
Were  content  to  eat  less  ravenously  and  remain  slender,  fewer 

134 


Brown,  Olive  or  Grayish  Brown,  and  Brown  and  Gray  Sparrowy  Birds 

victims  might  be  slaughtered  annually  to  tickle  the  palates  of  the 
epicure.  It  is  a  mystery  what  they  find  to  fatten  upon  when 
snow  covers  the  frozen  ground.  Even  in  the  severe  midwinter 
storms  they  will  not  seek  the  protection  of  the  woods,  but  always 
prefer  sandy  dunes  with  their  scrubby  undergrowth  or  open 
meadow  lands.  Occasionally  a  small  flock  wanders  toward  the 
farms  to  pick  up  seeds  that  are  blown  from  the  hayricks  or  scat- 
tered about  the  barn-yard  by  overfed  domestic  fowls. 

The  Prairie  Horned  Lark  (Otocoris  alpestris  praticola)  is 
similar  to  the  preceding,  but  a  trifle  smaller  and  paler,  with  a 
white  instead  of  a  yellow  streak  above  the  eye,  the  throat  yellow- 
ish or  entirely  white  instead  of  sulphur-yellow,  and  other  minor 
differences.  It  has  a  far  more  southerly  range,  confined  to  north- 
ern portions  of  the  United  States  from  the  Mississippi  eastward. 
Once  a  distinctly  prairie  bird,  it  now  roams  wherever  large 
stretches  of  open  country  that  suit  its  purposes  are  cleared  in  the 
East,  and  remains  resident.  This  species  also  sings  in  midair  on 
the  wing,  but  its  song  is  a  crude,  half-inarticulate  affair,  barely 
audible  from  a  height  of  two  hundred  feet. 

American  Pipit 

(Anthus  pensilvanicus)  Wagtail  family 

Called  also:  TITLARK;  BROWN  OR  RED  LARK 

Length — 6.38  to  7  inches.     About  the  size  of  a  sparrow. 

Male  and  Female — Upper  parts  brown ;  wings  and  tail  dark  olive- 
brown;  the  wing  coverts  tipped  with  buff  or  whitish,  and 
ends  of  outer  tail  feathers  white,  conspicuous  in  flight. 
White  or  yellowish  eye-ring,  and  line  above  the  eye.  Un- 
derneath light  buff  brown,  with  spots  on  breast  and  sides, 
the  under  parts  being  washed  with  brown  of  various  shades. 
Feet  brown.  Hind  toe-nail  as  long  as  or  longer  than  the 
toe. 

Range — North  America  at  large.  Winters  south  of  Virginia  to 
Mexico  and  beyond. 

Migrations— k'^xW.  October  or  November.  Common  in  the 
United  States,  chiefly  during  the  migrations. 

The  color  of  this  bird  varies  slightly  with  age  and  sex,  the 
under  parts  ranging  from  white  through  pale  rosy  brown  to  a 

13s 


Brown,  Olive  or  Grayish  Brown,  and  Brown  and  Gray  Sparrowy  Birds 

reddish  tinge;  but  at  any  season,  and  under  all  circumstances, 
the  pipit  is  a  distinctly  brown  bird,  resembling  the  water  thrushes 
not  in  plumage  only,  but  in  the  comical  tail  waggings  and  jerk- 
ings  that  alone  are  sufficient  to  identify  it.  However  the  books 
may  tell  us  the  bird  is  a  wagtail,  it  certainly  possesses  two  strong 
characteristics  of  true  larks:  it  is  a  walker,  delighting  in  walking 
or  running,  never  hopping  over  the  ground,  and  it  has  the  angelic 
habit  of  singing  as  it  flies. 

During  the  migrations  the  pipits  are  abundant  in  salt  marshes 
or  open  stretches  of  country  inland,  that,  with  lark-like  preference, 
they  choose  for  feeding  grounds.  When  flushed,  all  the  flock 
rise  together  with  uncertain  flight,  hovering  and  wheeling  about 
the  place,  calling  down  dee-dee,  dee-dee  above  your  head  until 
you  have  passed  on  your  way,  then  promptly  returning  to  the 
spot  from  whence  they  were  disturbed.  Along  the  roadsides 
and  pastures,  where  two  or  three  birds  are  frequently  seen  to- 
gether, they  are  too  often  mistaken  for  the  vesper  sparrows 
because  of  their  similar  size  and  coloring,  but  their  easy,  graceful 
walk  should  distinguish  them  at  once  from  the  hopping  sparrow. 
They  often  run  to  get  ahead  of  some  one  in  the  lane,  but  rarely  fly 
if  they  can  help  it,  and  then  scarcely  higher  than  a  fence-rail. 
Early  in  summer  they  are  off  for  the  mountains  in  the  north. 
Labrador  is  their  chosen  nesting  ground,  and  they  are  said  to 
place  their  grassy  nest,  lined  with  lichens  or  moss,  flat  upon  the 
ground — still  another  lark  trait.  Their  eggs  are  chocolate-brown 
scratched  with  black. 

Whlppoorwill 

(Antrostomus  vociferus)  Goatsucker  family 

Length — 9  to  10  inches.  About  the  size  of  the  robin.  Apparently 
much  larger,  because  of  its  long  wings  and  wide  wing- 
spread. 

Male — A  long-winged  bird,  mottled  all  over  with  reddish  brown, 
grayish  black,  and  dusky  white;  numerous  bristles  fringing 
the  large  mouth.  A  narrow  white  band  across  the  upper 
breast.     Tail  quills  on  the  end  and  under  side  white. 

Female — Similar  to  male,  except  that  the  tail  is  dusky  in  color 
where  that  of  the  male  is  white.  Band  on  breast  buff  instead 
of  white. 

Range — United  States,  to  the  plains.     Not  common  near  the  sea. 

Migrations — Late  April  to  middle  of  September.    Summer  resident. 

136 


Brown,  Olive  or  Grayish  Brown,  and  Brown  and  Gray  Sparrowy  Birds 

The  whippoorwill,  because  of  its  nocturnal  habits  and  plain- 
tive note,  is  invested  with  a  reputation  for  occult  power  which 
inspires  a  chilling  awe  among  superstitious  people,  and  leads 
them  insanely  to  attribute  to  it  an  evil  influence  ;  but  it  is  a 
harmless,  useful  night  prowler,  flying  low  and  catching  enor- 
mous numbers  of  hurtful  insects,  always  the  winged  varieties,  in 
its  peculiar  fly-trap  mouth. 

It  loves  the  rocky,  solitary  woods,  where  it  sleeps  all  day; 
but  it  is  seldom  seen,  even  after  painstaking  search,  because  of 
its  dull,  mottled  markings  conforming  so  nearly  to  rocks  and  dry 
leaves,  and  because  of  its  unusual  habit  of  stretching  itself  length- 
wise on  a  tree  branch  or  ledge,  where  it  is  easily  confounded  with  a 
patch  of  lichen,  and  thus  overlooked.  If  by  accident  one  happens 
upon  a  sleeping  bird,  it  suddenly  rouses  and  flies  away,  making 
no  more  sound  than  a  passing  butterfly — a  curious  and  uncanny 
silence  that  is  quite  remarkable.  When  the  sun  goes  down  and 
as  the  gloaming  deepens,  the  bird's  activity  increases,  and  it  begins 
its  nightly  duties,  emitting  from  time  to  time,  like  a  sentry  on 
his  post  or  a  watchman  of  the  night,  the  doleful  call  which  has 
given  the  bird  its  common  name.     It 

"  Mourns  unseen,  and  ceaseless  sings 
Ever  a  note  of  wail  and  woe," 

that  our  Dutch  ancestors  interpreted  as  "  Qiiote-kerr-kee,"  and  so 
called  it.  They  had  a  tradition  that  no  frost  ever  appeared  after 
the  bird  had  been  heard  calling  in  the  spring,  and  that  it  wisely 
left  for  warmer  skies  before  frost  came  in  the  autumn.  Prudent 
bird,  never  caught  napping  ! 

It  is  erratic  in  its  choice  of  habitations,  even  when  rock  and 
solitude  seem  suited  to  its  taste.  Very  rarely  is  this  odd  bird 
found  close  to  the  seashore,  and  in  the  Hudson  River  valley  it 
keeps  a  half  mile  or  more  back  from  the  river. 

The  eggs,  generally  two  in  number,  are  creamy  white, 
dashed  with  dark  and  olive  spots,  and  laid  on  the  ground  on  dry 
leaves,  or  in  a  little  hollow  in  rock  or  stump — never  in  a  nest 
built  with  loving  care.  But  in  extenuation  of  such  careless- 
ness it  may  be  said  that,  if  disturbed  or  threatened,  the  mother 
shows  no  lack  of  maternal  instinct,  and  removes  her  young, 
carrying  them  in  her  beak  as  a  cat  conveys  her  kittens  to  secure 
shelter. 

137 


Brown,  Olive  or  Grayish  Brown,  and  Brown  and  Gray  Sparrowy  Birds 

Nighthawk 

(Chordeiles  virginianus)  Goatsucker  family 

Called  also:  NIGHTJAR;  BULL-BAT;  MOSQUITO  HAWK; 
WILL  -  O'  -  THE  -  WISP  ;  PISK  ;  PIRAMIDIG  ;  LONG  - 
WINGED   GOATSUCKER 

Length — 9  to  lo  inches.  About  the  same  length  as  the  robin,  but 
apparently  much  longer  because  of  its  very  wide  wing-spread. 

Male  and  Female — Mottled  blackish  brown  and  rufous  above,  with 
a  multitude  of  cream-yellow  spots  and  dashes.  Lighter 
belov/,  with  waving  bars  of  brown  on  breast  and  under- 
neath. White  mark  on  throat,  like  an  imperfect  horseshoe; 
also  a  band  of  white  across  tail  of  male  bird.  These  latter 
markings  are  wanting  in  female.  Heavy  wings,  which  are 
partly  mottled,  are  brown  on  shoulders  and  tips,  and  longer 
than  tail.  They  have  large  white  spots,  conspicuous  in 
flight,  one  of  their  distinguishing  marks  from  the  whippoor- 
will.  Head  large  and  depressed,  with  large  eyes  and  ear- 
openings.     Very  small  bill. 

Range — From  Mexico  to  arctic  islands. 

Migrations — May.     October.     Common  summer  resident. 

The  nighthawk's  misleading  name  could  not  well  imply 
more  that  the  bird  is  not  :  it  is  not  nocturnal  in  its  habits,  neither 
is  it  a  hawk,  for  if  it  were,  no  account  of  it  would  be  given  in 
this  book,  which  distinctly  excludes  birds  of  prey.  Stories  of  its 
chicken-stealing  prove  to  be  ignorant  rather  than  malicious  slan- 
ders. Any  one  disliking  the  name,  however,  surely  cannot  com- 
plain of  a  limited  choice  of  other  names  by  which,  in  different 
sections  of  the  country,  it  is  quite  as  commonly  known. 

Too  often  it  is  mistaken  for  the  whippoorwill.  The  night- 
hawk  does  not  have  the  weird  and  woful  cry  of  that  more  dismal 
bird,  but  gives  instead  a  harsh,  whistling  note  while  on  the  wing, 
followed  by  a  vibrating,  booming,  whirring  sound  that  Nuttall 
likens  to  "the  rapid  turning  of  a  spinning  wheel,  or  a  strong 
blowing  into  the  bung-hole  of  an  empty  hogshead."  This  pecu- 
liar sound  is  responsible  for  the  name  nightjar,  frequently  given 
to  this  curious  bird.  It  is  said  to  be  made  as  the  bird  drops  sud- 
denly through  the  air,  creating  a  sort  of  stringed  instrument  of  its 
outstretched  wings  and  tail.  When  these  wings  are  spread,  their 
large  white  spots  running  through  the  feathers  to  the  under  side 

138 


Brown,  Olive  or  Grayish  Brown,  and  Brown  and  Gray  Sparrowy  Birds 

should  be  noted  to  further  distinguish  the  nighthawk  from  the 
whippoorwill,  which  has  none,  but  which  it  otherwise  closely 
resembles.  This  booming  sound,  coming  from  such  a  height  that 
the  bird  itself  is  often  unseen,  was  said  by  the  Indians  to  be  made 
by  the  shad  spirits  to  warn  the  scholes  of  shad  about  to  ascend 
the  rivers  to  spawn  in  the  spring,  of  their  impending  fate. 

The  flight  of  the  nighthawk  is  free  and  graceful  in  the  ex- 
treme. Soaring  through  space  without  any  apparent  motion  of 
its  wings,  suddenly  it  darts  with  amazing  swiftness  like  an  erratic 
bat  after  the  fly,  mosquito,  beetle,  or  moth  that  falls  within  the 
range  of  its  truly  hawk-like  eye. 

Usually  the  nighthawks  hunt  in  little  companies  in  the  most 
sociable  fashion.  Late  in  the  summer  they  seem  to  be  almost 
gregarious.  They  fly  in  the  early  morning  or  late  afternoon  with 
beak  wide  open,  hawking  for  insects,  but  except  when  the  moon 
is  full  they  are  not  known  to  go  a-hunting  after  sunset.  During 
the  heat  of  the  day  and  at  night  they  rest  on  limbs  of  trees,  fence- 
rails,  stone  walls,  lichen-covered  rocks  or  old  logs — wherever 
Nature  has  provided  suitable  mimicry  of  their  plumage  to  help 
conceal  them. 

With  this  object  in  mind,  they  quite  as  often  choose  a  hollow 
surface  of  rock  in  some  waste  pasture  or  the  open  ground  on 
which  to  deposit  the  two  speckled-gray  eggs  that  sixteen  days 
later  will  give  birth  to  their  family.  But  in  August,  when  family 
cares  have  ended  for  the  season,  it  is  curious  to  find  this  bird  of 
the  thickly  wooded  country  readily  adapting  itself  to  city  life, 
resting  on  Mansard  roofs,  darting  into  the  streets  from  the  house- 
tops, and  wheeling  about  the  electric  lights,  making  a  hearty  sup- 
per of  the  little,  winged  insects  they  attract. 

Black-billed    Cuckoo 

/'Coccyius  erythrophthalmus)  Cuckoo  family 

Called  also:  RAIN  CROW 

Length — II  to  12  inches.     About  one-fifth  larger  than  the  robin. 

Male — Grayish  brown  above,  with  bronze  tint  in  feathers.  Un- 
derneath grayish  white  ;  bill,  which  is  long  as  head  and 
black,  arched  and  acute.  Skin  about  the  eye  bright  red. 
Tail  long,  and  with  spots  on  tips  of  quills  that  are  small  and 
inconspicuous. 

'39 


Brown,  Olive  or  Grayish  Brown,  and  Brown  and  Gray  Sparrowy  Birds 

Fetnale—W'A^  obscure  dusky  bars  on  the  tail. 

Range — Labrador  to  Panama;  westward  to  Rocky  Mountains. 

Migrations — May.     September.     Summer  resident. 

"  O  cuckoo  !  shall  I  call  thee  bird  ? 
Or  but  a  wandering  voice  ?  " 

From  the  tangled  shrubbery  on  the  hillside  back  of  Dove 
Cottage,  Keswick,  where  Wordsworth  and  his  sister  Dorothy 
listened  for  the  coming  of  this  "darling  of  the  spring"  ;  in  the 
willows  overhanging  Shakespeare's  Avon  ;  from  the  favorite 
haunts  of  Chaucer  and  Spenser,  where 

"  Runneth  meade  and  springeth  blede," 

we  hear  the  cuckoo  calling  ;  but  how  many  on  this  side  of  the 
Atlantic  are  familiar  with  its  American  counterpart  ?  Here,  too, 
the  cuckoo  delights  in  running  water  and  damp,  cloudy  weather 
like  that  of  an  English  spring;  it  haunts  the  willows  by  our  river- 
sides, where  as  yet  no  "immortal  bard"  arises  to  give  it  fame. 
It  "loud  sings  "  in  our  shrubbery,  too.  Indeed,  if  we  cannot  study 
our  bird  afield,  the  next  best  place  to  become  acquainted  with 
it  is  in  the  pages  of  the  English  poets.  But  due  allowance  must 
be  made  for  differences  of  temperament.  Our  cuckoo  is  scarcely 
a  "merry  harbinger"  ;  his  talents,  such  as  they  are,  certainly  are 
not  musical.  However,  the  guttural  cluck  is  not  discordant,  and 
the  black-billed  species,  at  least,  has  a  soft,  mellow  voice  that 
seems  to  indicate  an  embryonic  songster.  "  K-k-k-k,  kow-kow- 
ow-kow-ow  !  "  is  a  familiar  sound  in  many  localities,  but  the  large, 
slim,  pigeon-shaped,  brownish-olive  bird  that  makes  it,  securely 
hidden  in  the  lov/  trees  and  shrubs  that  are  its  haunts,  is  not 
often  personally  known.  Catching  a  glimpse  only  of  the  grayish- 
white  under  parts  from  where  we  stand  looking  up  into  the  tree 
at  it,  it  is  quite  impossible  to  tell  the  bird  from  the  yellow-billed 
species.  When,  as  it  flies  about,  we  are  able  to  note  the  red 
circles  about  its  eyes,  its  black  bill,  and  the  absence  of  black  tail 
feathers,  with  their  white  "thumb-nail"  spots,  and  see  no  bright 
cinnamon  feathers  on  the  wings  (the  yellow-billed  specie's  dis- 
tinguishing marks),  we  can  at  last  claim  acquaintance  with  the 
black-billed  cuckoo.  Our  two  common  cuckoos  are  so  nearly 
alike  that  they  are  constantly  confused  in  the  popular  mind  and 
very  often  in  the  writings  of  ornithologists.     At  first  glance  the 

140 


YELLOW-BILLED   CUCKOO 


Brown,  Olive  or  Grayish  Brown,  and  Brown  and  Gray  Sparrowy  Birds 

birds  look  alike.  Their  haunts  are  almost  identical  ;  their  habits 
are  the  same  ;  and,  as  they  usually  keep  well  out  of  sight,  it  is 
not  surprising  if  confusion  arise. 

Neither  cuckoo  knows  how  to  build  a  proper  home;  a  bunch 
of  sticks  dropped  carelessly  into  the  bush,  where  the  hapless 
babies  that  emerge  from  the  greenish  eggs  will  not  have  far  to 
fall  when  they  tumble  out  of  bed,  as  they  must  inevitably  do, 
may  by  courtesy  only  be  called  a  nest.  The  cuckoo  is  said  to 
suck  the  eggs  of  other  birds  ;  but,  surely,  such  vice  is  only  the 
rarest  dissipation.  Insects  of  many  kinds  and  "tent  caterpillars" 
chiefly  are  their  chosen  food. 


Yellow-billed  Cuckoo 

(Coccyius  americanus)  Cuckoo  family 

Called  also:  RAIN  CROW 

Length — ii  to  12  inches.     About  one-fifth  longer  than  the  robin. 

Male  and  Female — Grayish  brown  above,  with  bronze  tint  in 
feathers.  Underneath  grayish  white.  Bill,  which  is  as 
long  as  head,  arched,  acute,  and  more  robust  than  the  black- 
billed  species,  and  with  lower  mandible  yellow.  Wings 
washed  with  bright  cinnamon-brown.  Tail  has  outer  quills 
black,  conspicuously  marked  with  white  thumb-nail  spots. 
Female  larger. 

Range — North  America,  from  Mexico  to  Labrador.  Most  common 
in  temperate  climates.     Rare  on  Pacific  slope. 

Migrations — Late  April.     September.     Summer  resident. 

"  Kak,  k-kuk,  k-kuk,  k-kuk  !  "  like  an  exaggerated  tree-toad's 
rattle,  is  a  sound  that,  when  first  heard,  makes  you  rush  out  of 
doors  instantly  to  "  name  "  the  bird.  Look  for  him  in  the  depths 
of  the  tall  shrubbery  or  low  trees,  near  running  water,  if  there  is 
any  in  the  neighborhood,  and  if  you  are  more  fortunate  than  most 
people,  you  will  presently  become  acquainted  with  the  yellow- 
billed  cuckoo.  When  seen  perching  at  a  little  distance,  his  large, 
slim  body,  grayish  brown,  with  olive  tints  above  and  whitish 
below,  can  scarcely  be  distinguished  from  that  of  the  black-billed 
species.  It  is  not  until  you  get  close  enough  to  note  the  yellow 
bill,  reddish-brown  wings,  and  black  tail  feathers  with  their  white 
"thumb-nail"  marks,  that  you  know  which  cuckoo  you  are 

141 


Brown,  Olive  or  Grayish  Brown,  and  Brown  and  Gray  Sparrowy  Birds 

watching.  In  repose  the  bird  looks  dazed  or  stupid,  but  as  it 
darts  about  among  the  trees  after  insects,  noiselessly  slipping  to 
another  one  that  promises  better  results,  and  hopping  along  the 
limbs  after  performing  a  series  of  beautiful  evolutions  among  the 
branches  as  it  hunts  for  its  favorite  "tent  caterpillars,"  it  appears 
what  it  really  is  :  an  unusually  active,  graceful,  intelligent  bird. 

A  solitary  wanderer,  nevertheless  one  cuckoo  in  an  apple 
orchard  is  worth  a  hundred  robins  in  ridding  it  of  caterpillars  and 
inch-worms,  for  it  delights  in  killing  many  more  of  these  than  it 
can  possibly  eat.  In  the  autumn  it  varies  its  diet  with  minute 
fresh-water  shellfish  from  the  swamp  and  lake.  Mulberries,  that 
look  so  like  caterpillars  the  bird  possibly  likes  them  on  that 
account,  it  devours  wholesale. 

Family  cares  rest  lightly  on  the  cuckoos.  The  nest  of  both 
species  is  a  ramshackle  affair — a  mere  bundle  of  twigs  and  sticks 
without  a  rim  to  keep  the  eggs  from  rolling  from  the  bush,  where 
they  rest,  to  the  ground.  Unlike  their  European  relative,  they 
have  the  decency  to  rear  their  own  young  and  not  impose  this 
heavy  task  on  others;  but  the  cuckoos  on  both  sides  of  the  Atlan- 
tic are  most  erratic  and  irregular  in  their  nesting  habits.  The 
overworked  mother-bird  often  lays  an  egg  while  brooding  over 
its  nearly  hatched  companion,  and  the  two  or  three  half-grown 
fledglings  already  in  the  nest  may  roll  the  large  greenish  eggs  out 
upon  the  ground,  while  both  parents  are  off  searching  for  food  to 
quiet  their  noisy  clamorings.  Such  distracting  mismanagement 
in  the  nursery  is  enough  to  make  a  homeless  wanderer  of  any 
father.  It  is  the  mother-bird  that  tumbles  to  the  ground  at  your 
approach  from  sheer  fright  ;  feigns  lameness,  trails  her  wings  as 
she  tries  to  entice  you  away  from  the  nest.  The  male  bird  shows 
far  less  concern  ;  a  no  more  devoted  father,  we  fear,  than  he  is 
a  lover.     It  is  said  he  changes  his  mate  every  year. 

Altogether,  the  cuckoo  is  a  very  different  sort  of  bird  from 
what  our  fancy  pictured.  The  little  Swiss  creatures  of  wood  that 
fly  out  of  the  doors  of  clocks  and  call  out  the  bed-hour  to  sleepy 
children,  are  chiefly  responsible  for  the  false  impressions  of  our 
mature  years.  The  American  bird  does  not  repeat  its  name,  and 
its  harsh,  grating  " kuk,  kuk,"  does  not  remotely  suggest  the 
sweet  voice  of  its  European  relative. 


142 


Brown,  Olive  or  Grayish  Brown,  and  Brown  and  Gray  Sparrowy  Birds 

Bank  Swallow 

(Clivicola  riparia)  Swallow  family 

Called  also:  SAND  MARTIN;    SAND  SWALLOW 

Length — 5  to  5.5  inches.  About  an  inch  shorter  than  the  English 
sparrow,  but  apparently  much  larger  because  of  its  wide 
wing-spread. 

Male  and  Female — Grayish  brown  or  clay-colored  above.  Upper 
wings  and  tail  darkest.  Below,  white,  with  brownish  band 
across  chest.  Tail,  which  is  rounded  and  more  nearly  square 
than  the  other  swallows,  is  obscurely  edged  with  white. 

Range — Throughout  North  America  south  of  Hudson  Bay. 

Migrations — April.     October.     Summer  resident. 

Where  a  brook  cuts  its  way  through  a  sand  bank  to  reach 
the  sea  is  an  ideal  nesting  ground  for  a  colony  of  sand  martins. 
The  face  of  the  high  bank  shows  a  number  of  clean,  round  holes 
indiscriminately  bored  into  the  sand,  as  if  the  place  had  just 
received  a  cannonading;  but  instead  of  war  an  atmosphere  of 
peace  pervades  the  place  in  midsummer,  when  you  are  most 
likely  to  visit  it.  Now  that  the  young  ones  have  flown  from 
their  nests  that  your  arm  can  barely  reach  through  the  tunnelled 
sand  or  clay,  there  can  be  little  harm  in  examining  the  feathers 
dropped  from  gulls,  ducks,  and  other  water-birds  with  which  the 
grassy  home  is  lined. 

The  bank  swallow's  nest,  like  the  kingfisher's,  which  it 
resembles,  is  his  home  as  well.  There  he  rests  when  tired  of  fly- 
ing about  in  pursuit  of  insect  food.  Perhaps  a  bird  that  has  been 
resting  in  one  of  the  tunnels,  startled  by  your  innocent  house- 
breaking, will  fly  out  across  your  face,  near  enough  for  you  to 
see  how  unlike  the  other  swallows  he  is:  smaller,  plainer,  and 
with  none  of  their  glinting  steel-blues  and  buffs  about  him. 
With  strong,  swift  flight  he  rejoins  his  fellows,  wheeling,  skim- 
ming, darting  through  the  air  above  you,  and  uttering  his  char- 
acteristic "  giggling  twitter,"  that  is  one  of  the  cheeriest  noises 
heard  along  the  beach.  In  early  October  vast  numbers  of  these 
swallows  may  be  seen  in  loose  flocks  along  the  Jersey  coast, 
slowly  making  their  way  South.  Clouds  of  them  miles  in  extent 
are  recorded. 

143 


Brown,  Olive  or  Grayish  Brown,  and  Brown  and  Gray  Sparrowy  Birds 

Closely  associated  with  the  sand  martin  is  the  Rough-winged 
Swallow  (Stelgidopteryx  serripennis),  not  to  be  distinguished 
from  its  companion  on  the  wing,  but  easily  recognized  by  its 
dull-gray  throat  and  the  absence  of  the  brown  breast-band  when 
seen  at  close  range. 

Cedar  Bird 

(Ampelis  cedrorum)  Waxwing  family 

Called  also:  CEDAR  WAXWING;   CHERRY-BIRD;   CANADA 
ROBIN;  RECOLLET 

Length — 7  to  8  inches.     About  one-fifth  smaller  than  the  robin. 

Male — Upper  parts  rich  grayish  brown,  with  plum-colored  tints 
showing  through  the  brown  on  crest,  throat,  breast,  wings, 
and  tail.  A  velvety-black  line  on  forehead  runs  through  the 
eye  and  back  of  crest.  Chin  black;  cresi  conspicuous;  breast 
lighter  than  the  back,  and  shading  into  yellow  underneath. 
Wings  have  quill-shafts  of  secondaries  elongated,  and  with 
brilliant  vermilion  tips  like  drops  of  sealing-wax,  rarely  seen 
on  tail  quills,  which  have  yellow  bands  across  the  end. 

Female — With  duller  plumage,  smaller  crest,  and  narrower  tail- 
band. 

Range — North  America,  from  northern  British  provinces  to  Cen- 
tral America  in  winter. 

Migrations— h  roving  resident,  without  tixed  seasons  for  migrat- 
ing. 

As  the  cedar  birds  travel  about  in  great  flocks  that  quickly 
exhaust  their  special  food  in  a  neighborhood,  they  necessarily 
lead  a  nomadic  life — here  to-day,  gone  to-morrow — and,  like  the 
Arabs,  they  "silently  steal  away."  It  is  surprising  how  very 
little  noise  so  great  a  company  of  these  birds  make  at  any  time. 
That  is  because  they  are  singularly  gentle  and  refined;  soft  of 
voice,  as  they  are  of  color,  their  plumage  suggesting  a  fine  Japan- 
ese water-color  painting  on  silk,  with  its  beautiful  sheen  and 
exquisitely  blended  tints. 

One  listens  in  vain  for  a  song;  only  a  lisping  ""Twee-twee-:ie," 
or  "a  dreary  whisper,"  as  Minot  calls  their  low-toned  commu- 
nications with  each  other,  reaches  our  ears  from  their  high  perches 
in  the  cedar  trees,  where  they  sit,  almost  motionless  hours  at  a 
time,  digesting  the  enormous  quantities  of  juniper  and  whortle 

144 


CEDARBIRD 


Brown,  Olive  or  Grayish  Brown,  and  Brown  and  Gray  Sparrowy  Birds 

berries,  wild  clnerries,  worms,  and  insects  upon  which  they  have 
gormandized. 

Nuttall  gives  the  cedar  birds  credit  for  excessive  politeness 
to  each  other.  He  says  he  has  often  seen  them  passing  a  worm 
from  one  to  another  down  a  whole  row  of  beaks  and  back  again 
before  it  was  finally  eaten. 

When  nesting  time  arrives — that  is  to  say,  towards  the  end  of 
the  summer — they  give  up  their  gregarious  habits  and  live  in  pairs, 
billing  and  kissing  like  turtle-doves  in  the  orchard  or  wild  crab- 
trees,  where  a  flat,  bulky  nest  is  rather  carelessly  built  of  twigs, 
grasses,  feathers,  strings — any  odds  and  ends  that  may  be  lying 
about.  The  eggs  are  usually  four,  white  tinged  with  purple  and 
spotted  with  black. 

Apparently  they  have  no  moulting  season ;  their  plumage  is 
always  the  same,  beautifully  neat  and  full-feathered.  Nothing 
ever  hurries  or  flusters  them,  their  greatest  concern  apparently 
being,  when  they  alight,  to  settle  themselves  comfortably  between 
their  over-polite  friends,  who  are  never  guilty  of  jolting  or  crowd- 
ing.    Few  birds  care  to  take  life  so  easily,  not  to  say  indolently. 

Among  the  French  Canadians  they  are  called  R6collet,  from 
the  color  of  their  crest  resembling  the  hood  of  the  religious  order 
of  that  name.  Every  region  the  birds  pass  through,  local  names 
appear  to  be  applied  to  them,  a  few  of  the  most  common  of 
which  are  given  above. 

Of  the  three  waxwings  known  to  scientists,  two  are  found 
in  America,  and  the  third  in  Japan. 

Brown  Creeper 

fCerth/a  familiar  is  americana)  Creeper  family 

Length — 5  to  5.75  inches.  A  little  smaller  tl^van  the  English 
sparrow. 

Male  atid  Female — Brown  above,  varied  with  ashy-gray  stripes  and 
small,  lozenge-shaped  gray  mottles.  Color  lightest  on  head, 
increasing  in  shade  to  reddish  brown  near  tail.  Tail  paler 
brown  and  long;  wings  brown  and  barred  with  whitish. 
Beneath  grayish  white.     Slender,  curving  bill. 

Range — United  States  and  Canada,  east  of  Rocky  Mountains. 

Migrations — April.     September.     Winter  resident. 

This  little  brown  wood  sprite,  the  very  embodiment  of  vir- 
us 


Brown,  Olive  or  Grayish  Brown,  and  Brown  and  Gray  Sparrowy  Birds 

tuous  diligence,  is  never  found  far  from  the  nuthatches,  titmice, 
and  kinglets,  though  not  strictly  in  their  company,  for  he  is  a 
rather  solitary  bird.  Possibly  he  repels  them  by  being  too  ex- 
asperatingly  conscientious. 

Beginning  at  the  bottom  of  a  rough-barked  tree  (for  a  smooth 
bark  conceals  no  larvse),  the  creeper  silently  climbs  upward  in  a 
sort  of  spiral,  now  lost  to  sight  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  tree, 
then  reappearing  just  where  he  is  expected  to,  flitting  back  a  foot 
or  two,  perhaps,  lest  he  overlooked  a  single  spider  egg,  but  never 
by  any  chance  leaving  a  tree  until  conscience  approves  of  his 
thoroughness.  And  yet  with  all  this  painstaking  workman's  care, 
it  takes  him  just  about  fifty  seconds  to  finish  a  tree.  Then  off 
he  flits  to  the  base  of  another,  to  repeat  the  spiral  process.  Only 
rarely  does  he  adopt  the  woodpecker  process  of  partly  flitting, 
partly  rocking  his  way  with  the  help  of  his  tail  straight  up  one 
side  of  the  tree. 

Yet  this  little  bird  is  not  altogether  the  soulless  drudge  he 
appears.  In  the  midst  of  his  work,  uncheered  by  summer  sun- 
shine, and  clinging  with  numb  toes  to  the  tree-trunk  some  bitter 
cold  day,  he  still  finds  some  tender  emotion  within  him  to  voice 
in  a  "wild,  sweet  song"  that  is  positively  enchanting  at  such  a 
time.  But  it  is  not  often  this  song  is  heard  south  of  his  nesting 
grounds. 

The  brown  creeper's  plumage  is  one  of  Nature's  most  success- 
ful feats  of  mimicry — an  exact  counterfeit  in  feathers  of  the  brown- 
gray  bark  on  which  the  bird  lives.  And  the  protective  coloring 
is  carried  out  in  the  nest  carefully  tucked  under  a  piece  of  loosened 
bark  in  the  very  heart  of  the  tree. 

Pine  Siskin 

(Spiniis  pinus)  Finch  family 

Called  also  :   PINE  FINCH  ;    PINE  LINNET 

Length — 4.75  to  5  inches.  Over  an  inch  smaller  than  the  Eng- 
lish sparrow. 

Male  and  Female — Olive-brown  and  gray  above,  much  streaked 
and  striped  with  very  dark  brown  everywhere.  Darkest  on 
head  and  back.  Lower  back,  base  of  tail,  and  wing  feathers 
pale  sulphur-yellow.  Under  parts  very  light  buff  brown, 
heavily  streaked. 

146 


Brown,  Olive  or  Grayish  Brown,  and  Brown  and  Gray  Sparrowy  Birds 

Range — North  America  generally.  Most  common  in  north  lati- 
tudes.    Winters  south  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 

Migrations — Erratic  winter  visitor  from  October  to  April.  Un- 
common in  summer. 

A  small  grayish-brown  brindle  bird,  relieved  with  touches 
of  yellow  on  its  back,  wings,  and  tail,  may  be  seen  some  winter 
morning  roving  on  the  lawn  from  one  evergreen  tree  to  another, 
clinging  to  the  pine  cones  and  peering  attentively  between  the 
scales  before  extracting  the  kernels.  It  utters  a  call-note  so  like 
the  English  sparrow's  that  you  are  surprised  when  you  look  up 
into  the  tree  to  find  it  comes  from  a  stranger.  The  pine  siskin 
is  an  erratic  visitor,  and  there  is  always  the  charm  of  the  unex- 
pected about  its  coming  near  our  houses  that  heightens  our 
enjoyment  of  its  brief  stay. 

As  it  flies  downward  from  the  top  of  the  spruce  tree  to  feed 
upon  the  brown  seeds  still  clinging  to  the  pigweed  and  golden- 
rod  stalks  sticking  out  above  the  snow  by  the  roadside,  it  dips 
and  floats  through  the  air  like  its  charming  little  cousin,  the  gold- 
finch. They  have  several  characteristics  in  common  besides 
their  flight  and  their  fondness  for  thistles.  Far  at  the  north, 
where  the  pine  siskin  nests  in  the  top  of  the  evergreens,  his 
sweet- warbled  love-song  is  said  to  be  like  that  of  our  "wild 
canary's,"  only  with  a  suggestion  of  fretfulness  in  the  tone. 

Occasionally  some  one  living  in  an  Adirondack  or  other 
mountain  camp  reports  finding  the  nest  and  hearing  the  siskin 
sing  even  in  midsummer;  but  it  is,  nevertheless,  considered  a 
northern  species,  however  its  erratic  habits  may  sometimes  break 
through  the  ornithologist's  traditions. 


Smith's  Painted  Longspur 

(Calcarius  pictus)  Finch  family 

Length — 6.5  inches.     About  the  size  of  a  large  English  sparrow. 

Male  and  Female — Upper  parts  marked  with  black,  brown,  and 
white,  like  a  sparrow;  brown  predominant.  Male  bird  with 
more  black  about  head,  shoulders,  and  tail  feathers,  and  a 
whitish  patch,  edged  with  black,  under  the  eye.  Under- 
neath pale  brown,  shading  to  buff.  Hind  claw  or  spur  con- 
spicuous. 

147 


Brown,  Olive  or  Grayish  Brown,  and  Brown  and  Gray  Sparrowy  Birds 

Jiange— Interior  of  North  America,  from  the  arctic  coast  to  Illinois 

and  Texas. 
Migrations— Winter  visitor.     Without  fixed  season. 

Confined  to  a  narrower  range  than  the  Lapland  longspur, 
this  bird,  quite  commonly  found  on  the  open  prairie  districts  of 
the  middle  West  in  winter,  is,  nevertheless,  so  very  like  its  cousin 
that  the  same  description  of  their  habits  might  very  well  answer 
for  both.  Indeed,  both  these  birds  are  often  seen  in  the  same 
flock.  Larks  and  the  ubiquitous  sparrows,  too,  intermingle  with 
them  with  the  familiarity  that  only  the  starvation  rations  of  mid- 
winter, and  not  true  sociability,  can  effect ;  and,  looking  out  upon 
such  a  heterogeneous  flock  of  brown  birds  as  they  are  feeding 
together  on  the  frozen  ground,  only  the  trained  field  ornithologist 
would  find  it  easy  to  point  out  the  painted  longspurs. 

Certain  peculiarities  are  noticeable,  however.  Longspurs 
squat  while  resting  ;  then,  when  flushed,  they  run  quickly  and 
lightly,  and  "rise  with  a  sharp  click,  repeated  several  times  in 
quick  succession,  and  move  with  an  easy,  undulating,  motion  for 
a  short  distance,  when  they  alight  very  suddenly,  seeming  to  fall 
perpendicularly  several  feet  to  the  ground."  Another  peculiarity 
of  their  flight  is  their  habit  of  flying  about  in  circles,  to  and  fro, 
keeping  up  a  constant  chirping  or  call.  It  is  only  in  the  mating 
season,  when  we  rarely  hear  them,  that  the  longspurs  have  the 
angelic  manner  of  singing  as  they  fly,  like  the  skylark.  The 
colors  of  the  males,  among  the  several  longspurs,  may  differ 
widely,  but  the  indistinctly  marked  females  are  so  like  each  other 
that  only  their  mates,  perhaps,  could  tell  them  apart. 


Lapland  Long-spur 

(Calcarius  lapponicus)  Finch  family 

Called  also:  LAPLAND   SNOWBIRD;   LAPLAND   LARK 
BUNTING 

Lengfh—S.^  to  7  inches.     A  trifle  larger  than  the  English  sparrow. 

Male~-Co\or  varies  with  season.  Winter  plumage  :  Top  of  head 
black,  with  rusty  markings,  all  feathers  being  tipped  with 
white.  Behind  and  below  the  eye  rusty  black.  Breast  and 
underneath  grayish  white,  faintly  streaked  with  black.  Above, 


Brown,  Olive  or  Grayish  Brown,  and  Brown  and  Gray  Sparrowy  Birds 

reddish  brown  with  black  markings.     Feet,  which  are  black, 

have  conspicuous,  long  hind  claws  or  spur. 
Female — Rusty  gray  above,  less  conspicuously  marked.     Whitish 

below. 
Range — Circumpolar  regions;  northern  United  States;  occasional 

in  Middle  States;  abundant  in  winter  as  far  as  Kansas  and 

the  Rocky  Mountains. 
Migrations — Winter  visitors,  rarely  resident,  and  without  a  fixed 

season. 

This  arctic  bird,  although  considered  somewhat  rare  with  us, 
when  seen  at  all  in  midwinter  is  in  such  large  flocks  that,  before 
its  visit  in  the  neighborhood  is  ended,  and  because  there  are  so 
few  other  birds  about,  it  becomes  delightfully  familiar  as  it  nimbly 
runs  over  the  frozen  ground,  picking  up  grain  that  has  blown 
about  from  the  barn,  when  the  seeds  of  the  field  are  buried  under 
snow.  This  lack  of  fear  through  sharp  hunger,  that  often  drives 
the  shyest  of  the  birds  to  our  very  doors  in  winter,  is  as  pathetic 
as  it  is  charming.  Possibly  it  is  not  so  rare  a  bird  as  we  think, 
for  it  is  often  mistaken  for  some  of  the  sparrows,  the  shore 
larks,  and  the  snow  buntings,  that  it  not  only  resembles,  but 
whose  company  it  frequently  keeps,  or  for  one  of  the  other  long- 
spurs. 

At  all  seasons  of  the  year  a  ground  bird,  you  may  readily 
identify  the  Lapland  longspur  by  its  tracks  through  the  snow, 
showing  the  mark  of  the  long  hind  claw  or  spur.  In  sum- 
mer we  know  little  or  nothing  about  it,  for,  with  the  coming 
of  the  first  flowers,  it  is  off  to  the  far  north,  where,  we  are  told, 
it  depresses  its  nest  in  a  bed  of  moss  upon  the  ground,  and  lines 
it  with  fur  shed  from  the  coat  of  the  arctic  fox. 


Chipping   Sparrow 

(Spi^ella  socialis)  Finch  family 

Called  also:    CHIPPY  ;     HAIR-BIRD  ;     CHIP-BIRD  ;     SOCIAL 

SPARROW 

Length — 5   to   5.5    inches.      An   inch  shorter   than  the   English 

sparrow. 
Male — Under  the  eye,  on  the  back  of  the  neck,  underneath,  and 

on  the  lower  back  ash-gray.    Gray  stripe  over  the  eye,  and  a 

149 


Brown,  Olive  or  Grayish  Brown,  and  Brown  and  Gray  Sparrowy  Birds 

blackish  brown  one  apparently  through  it.  Dark  red-brown 
crown.  Back  brown,  slightly  rufous,  and  feathers  streaked 
with  black.  Wings  and  tail  dusty  brown.  Wing-bars  not 
conspicuous.     Bill  black. 

Female — Lacks  the  chestnut  color  on  the  crown,  which  is  streaked 
with  black.     In  winter  the  frontlet  is  black.     Bill  brownish. 

Range — North  America,  from  Newfoundland  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico 
and  westward  to  the  Rockies.  Winters  in  Gulf  States  and 
Mexico.     Most  common  in  eastern  United  States. 

Migrations — April.  October.  Common  summer  resident,  many 
birds  remaining  all  the  year  from  southern  New  England 
southward. 

Who  does  not  know  this  humblest,  most  unassuming  little 
neighbor  that  comes  hopping  to  our  very  doors  ;  this  mite  of  a 
bird  with  "  one  talent"  that  it  so  persistently  uses  all  the  day  and 
every  day  throughout  the  summer  ?  Its  high,  wiry  trill,  like  the 
buzzing  of  the  locust,  heard  in  the  dawn  before  the  sky  grows 
even  gray,  or  in  the  middle  of  the  night,  starts  the  morning 
chorus;  and  after  all  other  voices  are  hushed  in  the  evening,  its 
tremolo  is  the  last  bed-song  to  come  from  the  trees.  But  how- 
ever monotonous  such  cheerfulness  sometimes  becomes  when  we 
are  surfeited  with  real  songs  from  dozens  of  other  throats,  there 
are  long  periods  of  midsummer  silence  that  it  punctuates  most 
acceptably. 

Its  call-note,  chip !  chip !  from  which  several  of  its  popular 
names  are  derived,  is  altogether  different  from  the  trill  which 
must  do  duty  as  a  song  to  express  love,  contentment,  everything 
that  so  amiable  a  little  nature  might  feel  impelled  to  voice. 

But  with  all  its  virtues,  the  chippy  shows  lamentable  weak- 
ness of  character  in  allowing  its  grown  children  to  impose  upon 
it,  as  it  certainly  does.  In  every  group  of  these  birds  throughout 
the  summer  we  can  see  young  ones  (which  we  may  know  by 
the  black  line-stripes  on  their  breasts)  hopping  around  after  their 
parents,  that  are  often  no  larger  or  more  able-bodied  than  they, 
and  teasing  to  be  fed;  drooping  their  wings  to  excite  pity  for 
a  helplessness  that  they  do  not  possess  when  the  weary  little 
mother  hops  away  from  them,  and  still  persistently  chirping  for 
food  until  she  weakly  relents,  returns  to  them,  picks  a  seed  from 
the  ground  and  thrusts  it  down  the  bill  of  the  sauciest  teaser  in 
the  group.  With  two  such  broods  in  a  season  the  chestnut 
feathers  on  the  father's  jaunty  head  might  well  turn  gray. 

150 


Brown,  Olive  or  Grayish  Brown,  and  Brown  and  Gray  Sparrowy  Birds 

Unlike  most  of  the  sparrows,  the  little  chippy  frequents  high 
trees,  where  its  nest  is  built  quite  as  often  as  in  the  low  bushes 
of  the  garden.  The  horse-hair,  which  always  lines  the  grassy 
cup  that  holds  its  greenish-blue,  speckled  eggs,  is  alone  responsi- 
ble for  the  name  hair-bird,  and  not  the  chippy's  hair-like  trill,  as 
some  suppose. 

English   Sparrow 
(Passer  domesticiis)  Finch  f^unily 

Called  also:  HOUSE   SPARROW 

Le7igth — 6.33  inches. 

Male — Ashy  above,  with  black  and  chestnut  stripes  on  back  and 
shoulders.  Wings  have  chestnut  and  white  bar,  bordered 
by  faint  black  line.  Gray  crown,  bordered  from  the  eye 
backward  and  on  the  nape  by  chestnut.  Middle  of  throat 
and  breast  black.     Underneath  grayish  white. 

Female — Paler;  wing-bars  indistinct,  and  without  the  black  mark- 
ing on  throat  and  breast. 

Range — Around  the  world.  Introduced  and  naturalized  in  Amer- 
ica, Australia,  New  Zealand. 

Migrations — Constant  resident. 

"  Of  course,  no  self-respecting  ornithologist  will  condescend 
to  enlarge  his  list  by  counting  in  the  English  sparrow— too  pes- 
tiferous to  mention,"  writes  Mr.  H.  E.  Parkhurst,  and  yet  of  all 
bird  neighbors  is  any  one  more  within  the  scope  of  this  book 
than  the  audacious  little  gamin  that  delights  in  the  companion- 
ship of  humans  even  in  their  most  noisy  city  thoroughfares  } 

In  a  bulletin  issued  by  the  Department  of  Agriculture  it  is 
shown  that  the  progeny  of  a  single  pair  of  these  sparrows  might 
amount  to  275,716,983,698  in  ten  years!  Inasmuch  as  many 
pairs  were  liberated  in  the  streets  of  Brooklyn,  New  York,  in 
1 85 1,  when  the  first  importation  was  made,  the  day  is  evidently 
not  far  off  when  these  birds,  by  no  means  meek,  "shall  inherit 
the  earth." 

In  Australia  Scotch  thistles,  English  sparrows,  and  rabbits, 
three  most  unfortunate  importations,  have  multiplied  with  equal 
rapidity  until  serious  alarm  fills  the  minds  of  the  colonists.  But 
in  England  a  special  committee  appointed  by  the  Hoi;se  of  Com- 

151 


Brown,  Olive  or  Grayish  Brown,  and  Brown  and  Gray  Sparrowy  Birds 

mons  to  investigate  tlie  character  of  tlie  alleged  pest  has  yet  to 
learn  whether  the  sparrow's  services  as  an  insect-destroyer  do 
not  outweigh  the  injury  it  does  to  fruit  and  grain. 

Field   Sparrow 

(Spiiellapusilla)  Finch  family 

Called  also;  FIELD    BUNTING;    WOOD   SPARROW;    BUSH 

SPARROW 

Length— ^.'y  to  5.75  inches.  A  little  smaller  than  the  English 
sparrow. 

Male — Chestnut  crown.  Upper  back  bright  chestnut,  fmely 
streaked  with  black  and  ashy  brown.  Lower  back  more 
grayish.  Whitish  wing-bars.  Cheeks,  line  over  the  eye, 
throat,  pale  brownish  drab.  Tail  long.  Underneath  grayish 
white,  tinged  with  palest  buff  on  breast  and  sides.  Bill 
reddish. 

Female — Paler;  the  crown  edged  with  grayish. 

Range — North  America,  from  British  provinces  to  the  Gulf,  and 
westward  to  the  plains.  Winters  from  Illinois  and  Virginia 
southward. 

Migrations — April.     November.     Common  summer  resident. 

Simply  because  both  birds  have  chestnut  crowns,  the  field 
sparrow  is  often  mistaken  for  the  dapper,  sociable  chippy;  and, 
no  doubt  because  it  loves  such  heathery,  grassy  pastures  as  are 
dear  to  the  vesper  sparrow,  and  has  bay  wings  and  a  sweet 
song,  these  two  cousins  also  are  often  confused.  The  field  spar- 
row has  a  more  reddish-brown  upper  back  than  any  of  its  small 
relatives;  the  absence  of  streaks  on  its  breast  and  of  the  white 
tail  quills  so  conspicuous  in  the  vesper  sparrow'«  flight,  sufficiently 
differentiate  the  two  birds,  while  the  red  bill  of  the  field  sparrow 
is  a  positive  rriark  of  identification. 

This  bird  of  humble  nature,  that  makes  the  scrubby  pastures 
and  uplands  tuneful  from  early  morning  until  after  sunset,  flies 
away  with  exasperating  shyness  as  you  approach.  Alighting  on 
a  convenient  branch,  he  lures  you  on  with  his  clear,  sweet  song. 
Follow  him,  and  he  only  hops  about  from  bush  to  bush,  fiirther 
and  farther  away,  singing  as  he  goes  a  variety  of  strains,  which 
is  one  of,  the  bird's  peculiarities.  The  song  not  only  varies  in 
individuals,  but  in  different  localities,  which  may  be  one  reasor> 

152 


Brown,  Olive  or  Grayish  Brown,  and  Brown  and  Gray  Sparrowy  Birds 

why  no  two  ornithologists  record  it  alike.  Doubtless  the  chief 
reason  for  the  amusing  differences  in  the  syllables  into  which  the 
songs  of  birds  are  often  translated  in  the  books,  is  that  the  same 
notes  actually  sound  differently  to  different  individuals.  Thus, 
to  people  in  Massachusetts  the  white-throated  sparrow  seems  to 
say,  "  Pea-bod-y,  Pea-bod-y,  Pea-bo d-y !  "  while  good  British 
subjects  beyond  the  New  England  border  hear  him  sing  quite  dis- 
tinctly, " Sweet  Can-a-da,  Can-a-da,  Can-a-da!"  But  however 
the  opinions  as  to  the  syllables  of  the  field  sparrow's  song  may 
differ,  all  are  agreed  as  to  its  exquisite  quality,  that  resembles  the 
vesper  sparrow's  tender,  sweet  melody.  The  song  begins  with 
three  soft,  wild  whistles,  and  ends  with  a  series  of  trills  and 
quavers  that  gradually  melt  away  into  silence:  a  serene  and  restful 
strain  as  soothing  as  a  hymn.  Like  the  vesper  sparrows,  these 
birds  sometimes  build  a  plain,  grassy  nest,  unprotected  by  over- 
hanging bush,  flat  upon  the  ground.  Possibly  from  a  prudent 
fear  of  field-mice  and  snakes,  the  little  mother  most  frequently 
lays  her  bluish-white,  rufous-marked  eggs  in  a  nest  placed  in  a 
bush  of  a  bushy  field.  Hence  John  Burroughs  has  called  the  bird 
the  "bush  sparrow." 

Fox  Sparrow 

(Passerella  ilica)  Finch  family 

Called  also:    FOX-COLORED    SPARROW;     FERRUGINOUS 
FINCH  ;    FOXY  FINCH 

Length — 6.5  to  7.25  inches.  Nearly  an  inch  longer  than  the  Eng- 
lish sparrow. 

Male  and  Female — Upper  parts  reddish  brown,  varied  with  ash- 
gray,  brightest  on  lower  back,  wings,  and  tail.  Bluish  slate 
about  the  head.  Underneath  whitish;  the  throat,  breast,  and 
sides  heavily  marked  with  arrow-heads  and  oblong  dashes  of 
reddish  brown  and  blackish. 

Range — Alaska  and  Manitoba  to  southern  United  States.  Winters 
chiefly  south  of  Illinois  and  Virginia.  Occasional  stragglers 
remain  north  most  of  the  winter. 

Migrations — March.  November.  Most  common  in  the  migra- 
tions. 

« 
There  will  be  little  difficulty  in  naming  this  largest,  most 

plump  and    reddish    of   all  the   sparrows,    whose  fox-colored 

IS3 


Brown,  Olive  or  Grayish  Brown,  and  Brown  and  Gray  Sparrowy  Birds 

feathers,  rather  than  any  malicious  cunning  of  its  disposition,  are 
responsible  for  the  name  it  bears.  The  male  bird  is  incomparably 
the  finest  singer  of  its  gifted  family.  His  faint  tseep  call-note  gives 
no  indication  of  his  vocal  powers  that  some  bleak  morning  in  early 
March  suddenly  send  a  thrill  of  pleasure  through  you.  It  is  the 
most  welcome  "glad  surprise"  of  all  the  spring.  Without  a 
preliminary  twitter  or  throat-clearing  of  any  sort,  the  full,  rich, 
luscious  tones,  with  just  a  tinge  of  plaintiveness  in  them,  are 
poured  forth  with  spontaneous  abandon.  Such  a  song  at  such  a 
time  is  enough  to  summon  anybody  with  a  musical  ear  out  of 
doors  under  the  leaden  skies  to  where  the  delicious  notes  issue 
from  the  leafless  shrubbery  by  the  roadside.  Watch  the  singer 
until  the  song  ends,  when  he  will  quite  likely  descend  among  the 
dead  leaves  on  the  ground  and  scratch  among  them  like  any 
barn-yard  fowl,  but  somehow  contriving  to  use  both  feet  at  once 
in  the  operation,  as  no  chicken  ever  could.  He  seems  to  take  spe- 
cial delight  in  damp  thickets,  where  the  insects  with  which  he 
varies  his  seed  diet  are  plentiful. 

Usually  the  fox  sparrows  keep  in  small,  loose  flocks,  apart 
by  themselves,  for  they  are  not  truly  gregarious  ;  but  they  may 
sometimes  be  seen  travelling  in  company  with  their  white- 
throated  cousins.  They  are  among  the  last  birds  to  leave  us  in 
the  late  autumn  or  winter.  Mr.  Bicknell  says  that  they  seem  in- 
disposed to  sing  unless  present  in  numbers.  Indeed,  they  are 
little  inclined  to  absolute  solitude  at  any  time,  for  even  in  the 
nesting  season  quite  a  colony  of  grassy  nurseries  may  be  found 
in  the  same  meadow,  and  small  companies  haunt  the  roadside 
shrubbery  during  the  migrations. 

Grasshopper  Sparrow 

(Ammodramiis  savannariim  passerinus)  Finch  family 

C«//^^«/^^.- YELLOW-WINGED  SPARROW 

Length — 5  to  5.4  inches.  About  an  inch  smaller  than  the  Eng- 
lish sparrow. 

Male  and  Female — A  cream-yellow  line  over  the  eye ;  centre  of 
crown,  shoulders,  and  lesser  wing  coverts  yellowish.  Head 
blackish;  rust-colored  feathers,  with  small  black  spots  on 
back  of  the  neck;  an  orange  mark  before  the  eye.  All  other 
upper  parts  varied  red,  brown,  cream,  and  black,  with  a  drab 

154 


Brown,  Olive  or  Grayish  Brown,  and  Brown  and  Gray  Sparrowy  Birds 

wash.     Underneath  brownish  drab   on   breast,   shading  to 

soiled  white,  and  without  streaks.     Dusky,  even,  pointed  tail 

feathers  have  grayish-white  outer  margins. 
J?an^e— Eastern  North  America,  from  British  provinces  to  Cuba. 

Winters  south  of  the  Carolinas. 
Migrations — April.     October.     Common  summer  resident. 

It  is  safe  to  say  that  no  other  common  bird  is  so  frequently 
overlooked  as  this  little  sparrow,  that  keeps  persistently  to  the 
grass  and  low  bushes,  and  only  faintly  lifts  up  a  weak,  wiry 
voice  that  is  usually  attributed  to  some  insect.  At  the  bend  of 
the  wings  only  are  the  feathers  really  yellow,  and  even  this 
bright  shade  often  goes  unnoticed  as  the  bird  runs  shyly  through 
an  old  dairy  field  or  grassy  pasture.  You  may  all  but  step  upon 
it  before  it  takes  wing  and  exhibits  itself  on  the  fence-rail,  which 
is  usually  as  far  from  the  ground  as  it  cares  to  go.  If  you  are  near 
enough  to  this  perch  you  may  overhear  the  :{ee-e-e-e-e-e-e-e  that 
has  earned  it  the  name  of  grasshopper  sparrow.  If  you  persist- 
ently follow  it  too  closely,  away  it  flies,  then  suddenly  drops  to 
the  ground  where  a  scrubby  bush  affords  protection.  A  curious 
fact  about  this  bird  is  that  after  you  have  once  become  acquainted 
with  it,  you  fmd  that  instead  of  being  a  rare  discovery,  as  you  had 
supposed,  it  is  apt  to  be  a  common  resident  of  almost  every  field 
you  walk  through. 

Savanna  Sparrow 

( Ammodramus  sandwichensis  savanna)  Finch  family 

Called  also  :  SAVANNA  BUNTING 

Length — 5. 5  to  6  inches.    A  trifle  smaller  than  the  English  sparrow. 

Male  and  Female — Cheeks,  space  over  the  eye,  and  on  the  bend 
of  the  wings  pale  yellow.  General  effect  of  the  upper  parts 
brownish  drab,  streaked  with  black.  Wings  and  tail  dusky, 
the  outer  webs  of  the  feathers  margined  with  buff.  Under 
parts  white,  heavily  streaked  with  blackish  and  rufous,  the 
marks  on  breast  feathers  being  wedge-shaped.  In  the  au- 
tumn the  plumage  is  often  suffused  with  a  yellow  tinge. 

Range — Eastern  North  America,  from  Hudson  Bay  to  Mexico. 
Winters  south  of  Illinois  and  Virginia. 

Migrations — April.  October.  A  few  remain  in  sheltered  marshes 
at  the  north  all  winter. 

I5S 


Brown,  Olive  or  Grayish  Brown,  and  Brown  and  Gray  Sparrowy  Birds 

Look  for  the  savanna  sparrow  in  salt  marshes,  marshy  or 
upland  pastures,  never  far  inland,  and  if  you  see  a  sparrowy 
bird,  unusually  white  and  heavily  streaked  beneath,  and  with 
pale  yellow  markings  about  the  eye  and  on  the  bend  of  the  wing, 
you  may  still  make  several  guesses  at  its  identity  before  the  weak, 
little  insect-like  trill  finally  establishes  it.  Whoever  can  correctly 
name  every  sparrow  and  warbler  on  sight  is  a  person  to  be 
envied,  if,  indeed,  he  exists  at  all. 

In  the  lowlands  of  Nova  Scotia  and,  in  fact,  of  all  the  mari- 
time provinces,  this  sparrow  is  the  one  that  is  perhaps  most  com- 
monly seen.  Every  fence-rail  has  one  perched  upon  it,  singing 
"  Ptsip,  ptsip,  ptsip,  ^ee-e-e-e-e  "  close  to  the  ear  of  the  passer-by, 
who  otherwise  might  not  hear  the  low  grasshopper-like  song.  At 
the  north  the  bird  somehow  loses  the  shyness  that  makes  it  com- 
paratively little  known  farther  south.  Depending  upon  the  scrub 
and  grass  to  conceal  it,  you  may  almost  tread  upon  it  before  it 
startles  you  by  its  sudden  rising  with  a  whirring  noise,  only  to 
drop  to  the  ground  again  just  as  suddenly  a  few  yards  farther 
away,  where  it  scuds  among  the  underbrush  and  is  lost  to  sight. 
Tall  weeds  and  fence-rails  are  as  high  and  exposed  situations  as 
it  is  likely  to  select  while  singing.  It  is  most  distinctively  a 
ground  bird,  and  flat  upon  the  pasture  or  in  a  slightly  hollowed 
cup  it  has  the  merest  apology  for  a  nest.  Only  a  few  wisps  of 
grass  are  laid  in  the  cavity  to  receive  the  pale-green  eggs,  that  are 
covered  most  curiously  with  blotches  of  brown  of  many  shapes 
and  tints. 

Seaside  Sparrow 

( Ammodramus  maritimus)  Finch  family 

Called  also:  MEADOW  CHIPPY;  SEASIDE   FINCH 

Length — 6  inches.     A  shade  smaller  than  the  English  sparrow. 
Male  afid  Female — Upper  parts  dusky  grayish  or  olivaceous  brown, 

inclining  to  gray  on  shoulders  and  on  edges  of  some  feathers. 

Wings  and  tail  darkest.     Throat  yellowish  white,  shading  to 

gray  on  brea'st,  which  is  indistinctly  mottled  and  streaked. 

A  yellow  spot  before  the  eye  and  on  bend  of  the  wing,  the 

bird's  characteristic  marks.     Blunt  tail. 
Range — Atlantic   seaboard,   from   Georgia   northward.      Usually 

winters  south  of  Virginia. 
Migrations — April.      November.      A    few    remain    in    sheltered 

marshes  all  winter. 

156 


Brown,  Olive  or  Grayish  Brown,  and  Brown  and  Gray  Sparrowy  Birds 

The  savanna,  the  swamp,  the  sharp-tailed,  and  the  song  spar- 
rows may  all  sometimes  be  found  in  the  haunts  of  the  seaside 
sparrow,  but  you  may  be  certain  of  finding  the  latter  nowhere  else 
than  in  the  salt  marshes  within  sight  or  sound  of  the  sea.  It  is  a 
dingy  little  bird,  with  the  least  definite  coloring  of  all  the  spar- 
rows that  have  maritime  inclinations,  with  no  rufous  tint  in  its 
feathers,  and  less  distinct  streakings  on  the  breast  than  any  of 
them.     It  has  no  black  markings  on  the  back. 

Good-sized  flocks  of  seaside  sparrows  live  together  in  the 
marshes;  but  they  spend  so  much  of  their  time  on  the  ground, 
running  about  among  the  reeds  and  grasses,  whose  seeds  and 
insect  parasites  they  feed  upon,  that  not  until  some  unusual  dis- 
turbance in  the  quiet  place  flushes  them  does  the  intruder  sus- 
pect their  presence.  Hunters  after  beach-birds,  longshoremen, 
seaside  cottagers,  and  whoever  follows  the  windings  of  a  creek 
through  the  salt  meadows  to  catch  crabs  and  eels  in  midsummer, 
are  well  acquainted  with  the  "meadow  chippies,"  as  the  fisher- 
men call  them.  They  keep  up  a  good  deal  of  chirping,  sparrow- 
fashion,  and  have  four  or  five  notes  resembling  a  song  that  is 
usually  delivered  from  a  tall  reed  stalk,  where  the  bird  sways  and 
balances  until  his  husky  performance  has  ended,  when  down  he 
drops  upon  the  ground  out  of  sight.  Sometimes,  too,  these 
notes  are  uttered  while  the  bird  flutters  in  the  air  above  the  tops 
of  the  sedges. 


Sharp-tailed  Sparrow 

(Ammodramus  caudacutus)  Finch  family 

Length— ^.2^  to  5.85  inches.  A  trifle  smaller  than  the  English 
sparrow. 

Male  and  Female — Upper  parts  brownish  or  grayish  olive,  the 
back  with  black  streaks,  and  gray  edges  to  some  feathers. 
A  gray  line  through  centre  of  crown,  which  has  maroon 
stripes;  gray  ears  enclosed  by  buff  lines,  one  of  which  passes 
through  the  eye  and  one  on  side  of  throat;  brownish  orange, 
or  buff,  on  sides  of  head.  Bend  of  the  wing  yellow.  Breast 
and  sides  pale  buff,  distinctly  streaked  with  black.  Under- 
neath whitish.  Each  narrow  quill  of  tail  is  sharply  pointed, 
the  outer  ones  shortest. 

Range — Atlantic  coast.     Winters  south  of  Virginia, 

Migrations'— k'^xW.     November.     Summer  resident. 

157 


Brown,  Olive  or  Grayish  Brown,  and  Brown  and  Gray  Sparrowy  Birds 

This  bird  delights  in  the  company  of  the  dull-colored  seaside 
sparrow,  whose  haunts  in  the  salt  marshes  it  frequents,  especially 
the  drier  parts;  but  its  pointed  tail-quills  and  more  distinct  mark- 
ings are  sufficient  to  prevent  confusion.  Mr.  J.  Dwight,  Jr.,  who 
has  made  a  special  study  of  maritime  birds,  says  of  it:  "It  runs 
about  among  the  reeds  and  grasses  with  the  celerity  of  a  mouse, 
and  it  is  not  apt  to  take  wing  unless  closely  pressed."  (Wilson 
credited  it  with  the  nimbleness  of  a  sandpiper.)  "It  builds  its 
nest  in  the  tussocks  on  the  bank  of  a  ditch,  or  in  the  drift  left  by 
the  tide,  rather  than  in  the  grassier  sites  chosen  by  its  neighbors, 
the  seaside  sparrows." 

Only  rarely  does  one  get  a  glimpse  of  this  shy  little  bird, 
that  darts  out  of  sight  like  a  flash  at  the  first  approach.  Balancing 
on  a  cat-tail  stalk  or  perched  upon  a  bit  of  driftwood,  it  makes  a 
feeble,  husky  atte'mpt  to  sing  a  few  notes;  and  during  the  brief 
performance  the  opera-glasses  may  search  it  out  successfully. 
While  it  feeds  upon  the  bits  of  sea-food  washed  ashore  to  the 
edge  of  the  marshes,  it  gives  us  perhaps  the  best  chance  we  ever 
get,  outside  of  a  museum,  to  study  the  bird's  characteristics  of 
plumage. 

"Both  the  sharp-tailed  and  the  seaside  finches  are  crepus- 
cular," says  Dr.  Abbott,  in  "The  Birds  About  Us."  They  run 
up  and  down  the  reeds  and  on  the  water's  edge  long  after  most 
birds  have  gone  to  sleep. 

Song  Sparrow 

(Melospi:{^afasciata)  Finch  family 

Length— 6  to  6.5  inches.  About  the  same  size  as  the  English 
sparrow. 

Male  and  Female — Brown  head,  with  three  longitudinal  gray  bands. 
Brown  stripe  on  sides  of  throat.  Brownish-gray  back, 
streaked  with  rufous.  Underneath  gray,  shading  to  white, 
heavily  streaked  with  darkest  brown.  A  black  spot  on 
breast.     Wings  without  bars.     Tail  plain  grayish  brown. 

Range— HorWx  America,  from  Fur  Countries  to  the  Gulf  States. 
Winters  from  southern  Illinois  and  Massachusetts  to  the  Gulf. 

Mtgratiofis—}A2irc\\.  November.  A  few  birds  remain  at  the 
north  all  the  year. 

Here  is  a  veritable  bird  neighbor,  if  ever  there  was  one  ;  at 
home  in  our  gardens  and  hedges,  not  often  farther  away  than  the 

158 


SONG   SPARROW 


Brown,  Olive  or  Grayish  Brown,  and  Brown  and  Gray  Sparrowy  Birds 

roadside,  abundant  everywhere  during  nearly  every  month  in  the 
year,  and  yet  was  there  ever  one  too  many  ?  There  is  scarcely  an 
hour  in  the  day,  too,  when  its  delicious,  ecstatic  song  may  not 
be  heard  ;  in  the  darkness  of  midnight,  just  before  dawn,  when 
its  voice  is  almost  the  first  to  respond  to  the  chipping  sparrow's 
wiry  trill  and  the  robin's  warble  ;  in  the  cool  of  the  morning,  the 
heat  of  noon,  the  hush  of  evening — ever  the  simple,  homely, 
sweet  melody  that  every  good  American  has  learned  to  love  in 
childhood.  What  the  bird  lacks  in  beauty  it  abundantly  makes 
up  in  good  cheer.  Not  at  all  retiring,  though  never  bold,  it 
chooses  some  conspicuous  perch  on  a  bush  or  tree  to  deliver  its 
outburst  of  song,  and  sings  away  with  serene  unconsciousness. 
Its  artlessness  is  charming.  Thoreau  writes  in  his  "Summer" 
that  the  country  girls  in  Massachusetts  hear  the  bird  say  :  "Maids, 
maids,  maids,  hang  on  your  teakettle,  teakettle-ettle-ettle."  The 
call-note,  a  metallic  chip,  is  equally  characteristic  of  the  bird's 
irrepressible  vivacity.  It  has  still  another  musical  expression, 
however,  a  song  more  prolonged  and  varied  than  its  usual  per- 
formance, that  it  seems  to  sing  only  on  the  wing. 

Of  course,  the  song  sparrow  must  sometimes  fly  upward, 
but  whoever  sees  it  fly  anywhere  but  downward  into  the  thicket 
that  it  depends  upon  to  conceal  it  from  too  close  inspection .? 
By  pumping  its  tail  as  it  flies,  it  seems  to  acquire  more  than  the 
ordinary  sparrow's  velocity. 

Its  nest,  which  is  likely  to  be  laid  flat  on  the  ground,  except 
where  field-mice  are  plentiful  (in  which  case  it  is  elevated  into 
the  crotch  of  a  bush),  is  made  of  grass,  strips  of  bark,  and  leaves, 
and  lined  with  finer  grasses  and  hair.  Sometimes  three  broods 
may  be  reared  in  a  season,  but  even  the  cares  of  providing  insects 
and  seeds  enough  for  so  many  hungry  babies  cannot  altogether 
suppress  the  cheerful  singer.  The  eggs  are  grayish  white, 
speckled  and  clouded  with  lavender  and  various  shades  of 
brown. 

In  sparsely  settled  regions  the  song  sparrows  seem  to  show 
a  fondness  for  moist  woodland  thickets,  possibly  because  their 
tastes  are  insectivorous.  But  it  is  difficult  to  imagine  the  friendly 
little  musician  anything  but  a  neighbor. 


159 


Brown,  Olive  or  Grayish  Brown,  and  Brown  and  Gray  Sparrowy  Birds 

Swamp  Song  Sparrow 

(Melospi^a  georgiana)  Finch  family 

Called  also:  SWAMP  SPARROW;   MARSH  SPARROW;   RED 
GRASS-BIRD;  SWAMP   FINCH 

Length — 5  to  5.8  inches.  A  little  smaller  than  the  English  spar- 
row. 

Male — Forehead  black ;  crown,  which  in  winter  has  black  stripes, 
is  always  bright  bay;  line  over  the  eye,  sides  of  the  neck 
gray.  Back  brown,  striped  with  various  shades.  Wing- 
edges  and  tail  reddish  brown.  Mottled  gray  underneath, 
inclining  to  white  on  the  chin. 

Fejnale — Without  black  forehead  and  stripes  on  head. 

Rangi — North  America,  from  Texas  to  Labrador. 

Migratiotis — April.     October.     A  few  winter  at  the  north. 

In  just  such  impenetrable  retreats  as  the  marsh  wrens  choose, 
another  wee  brown  bird  may  sometimes  be  seen  springing  up 
from  among  the  sedges,  singing  a  few  sweet  notes  as  it  flies  and 
floats  above  them,  and  then  suddenly  disappearing  into  the 
grassy  tangle.  It  is  too  small,  and  its  breast  is  not  streaked 
enough  to  be  a  song  sparrow,  neither  are  their  songs  alike;  it  has 
not  the  wren's  peculiarities  of  bill  and  tail.  Its  bright-bay  crown 
and  sparrowy  markings  finally  identify  it.  A  suggestion  of  the 
bird's  watery  home  shows  itself  in  the  liquid  quality  of  its  simple, 
sweet  note,  stronger  and  sweeter  than  the  chippy's,  and  repeated 
many  times  almost  like  a  trill  that  seems  to  trickle  from  the 
marsh  in  a  little  rivulet  of  song.  The  sweetness  is  apt  to  become 
monotonous  to  all  but  the  bird  itself,  that  takes  evident  delight  in 
its  performance.  In  the  spring,  when  flocks  of  swamp  sparrows 
come  north,  how  they  enliven  the  marshes  and  waste  places  ! 
And  yet  the  song,  simple  as  it  is,  is  evidently  not  uttered  alto- 
gether without  effort,  if  the  tail-spreading  and  teetering  of  the 
body  after  the  manner  of  the  ovenbird,  are  any  indications  of 
exertion. 

Nuttall  says  of  these  birds:  "  They  thread  their  devious  way 
with  the  same  alacrity  as  the  rail,  with  whom,  indeed,  they  are 
often  associated  in  neighborhood.  In  consequence  of  this  perpet- 
ual brushing  through  sedge  and  bushes,  their  feathers  are  fre- 
quently so  worn  that  their  tails  appear  almost  like  those  of  rats." 

160 


Brown,  Olive  or  Grayish  Brown,  and  Brown  and  Gray  Sparrowy  Birds 

But  the  swamp  sparrows  frequently  belie  their  name,  and, 
especially  in  the  South,  live  in  dry  fields,  worn-out  pasture  lands 
with  scrubby,  weedy  patches  in  them.  They  live  upon  seeds  of 
grasses  and  berries,  but  Dr.  Abbott  has  detected  their  special 
fondness  for  fish — not  fresh  fish  particularly,  but  rather  such  as 
have  lain  in  the  sun  for  a  few  days  and  become  dry  as  a  chip. 

Their  nest  is  placed  on  the  ground,  sometimes  in  a  tussock 
of  grass  or  roots  of  an  upturned  tree  quite  surrounded  by  water. 
Four  or  five  soiled  white  eggs  with  reddish-brown  spots  are  laid 
usually  twice  in  a  season. 


Tree  Sparrow 

(Spi:iella  monticola)  Finch  family 

Called  also:  CANADA  SPARROW  ;  WINTER  CHIPPY;  TREE 
BUNTING  ;   WINTER  CHIP-BIRD  ;   ARCTIC   CHIPPER 

Length — 6  to  6.35  inches.  About  the  same  size  as  the  English 
sparrow. 

Male — Crown  of  head  bright  chestnut.  Line  over  the  eye,  cheeks, 
throat,  and  breast  gray,  the  breast  with  an  indistinct  black 
spot  on  centre.  Brown  back,  the  feathers  edged  with  black 
and  buff.  Lower  back  pale  grayish  brown.  Two  whitish 
bars  across  dusky  wings ;  tail  feathers  bordered  with  grayish 
white.     Underneath  whitish. 

Female — Smaller  and  less  distinctly  marked. 

Range — North  America,  from  Hudson  Bay  to  the  Carolinas,  and 
westward  to  the  plains. 

Migrations — October.     April.     Winter  resident. 

A  revised  and  enlarged  edition  of  the  friendly  little  chipping 
sparrow,  that  hops  to  our  very  doors  for  crumbs  throughout  the 
mild  weather,  comes  out  of  British  America  at  the  beginning  of 
winter  to  dissipate  much  of  the  winter's  dreariness  by  his  cheer- 
ful twitterings.  Why  he  should  have  been  called  a  tree  spar- 
row is  a  mystery,  unless  because  he  does  not  frequent  trees — a 
reason  with  sufficient  plausibility  to  commend  the  name  to  sev- 
eral of  the  early  ornithologists,  who  not  infrequently  called  a  bird 
precisely  what  it  was  not.  The  tree  sparrow  actually  does  not 
show  half  the  preference  for  trees  that  its  familiar  little  counter- 
part does,   but  rather  keeps  to  low  bushes  when  not  on  the 

161 


Brown,  Olive  or  Grayish  Brown,  and  Brown  and  Gray  Sparrowy  Birds 

ground,  where  we  usually  find  it.  It  does  not  crouch  upon  the 
ground  like  the  chippy,  but  with  a  lordly  carriage  holds  itself 
erect  as  it  nimbly  runs  over  the  frozen  crust.  Sheltered  from  the 
high,  wintry  winds  in  the  furrows  and  dry  ditches  of  ploughed 
fields,  a  loose  flock  of  these  active  birds  keep  up  a  merry  hunt 
for  fallen  seeds  and  berries,  with  a  belated  beetle  to  give  the  grain 
a  relish.  As  you  approach  the  feeding  ground,  one  bird  gives  a 
shrill  alarm-cry,  and  instantly  five  times  as  many  birds  as  you 
suspected  were  in  the  field  take  wing  and  settle  down  in  the 
scrubby  undergrowth  at  the  edge  of  the  woods  or  by  the  way- 
side. No  still  cold  seems  too  keen  for  them  to  go  a-foraging; 
but  when  cutting  winds  blow  through  the  leafless  thickets  the 
scattered  remnants  of  a  flock  seek  the  shelter  of  stone  walls, 
hedges,  barns,  and  cozy  nooks  about  the  house  and  garden.  It 
is  in  midwinter  that  these  birds  grow  most  neighborly,  although 
even  then  they  are  distinctly  less  sociable  than  their  small  chippy 
cousins. 

By  the  first  of  March,  when  the  fox  sparrow  and  the  blue- 
bird attract  the  lion's  share  of  attention  by  their  superior  voices, 
we  not  infrequently  are  deaf  to  the  modest,  sweet  little  strain 
that  answers  for  the  tree  sparrow's  love-song.  Soon  after  the 
bird  is  in  full  voice,  away  it  goes  with  its  flock  to  their  nesting 
ground  in  Labrador  or  the  Hudson  Bay  region.  It  builds,  either 
on  the  ground  or  not  far  from  it,  a  nest  of  grasses,  rootlets,  and 
hair,  without  which  no  true  chippy  counts  its  home  complete. 


Vesper   Sparrow 

(Pooccetes  gramineiis)  Finch  family 

Called  also:  BAY-WINGED  BUNTING;  GRASSFINCH;  GRASS- 
BIRD 

Length — 5.75  to  6.25  inches.  A  little  smaller  than  the  English 
sparrow. 

Male  and  Female — Brown  above,  streaked  and  varied  with  gray. 
Lesser  wing  coverts  bright  rufous.  Throat  and  breast  whit- 
ish, striped  with  dark  brown.  Underneath  plain  soiled 
white.  Outer  tail-quills,  which  are  its  special  mark  of  iden- 
tification, are  partly  white,  but  apparently  wholly  white  as 
the  bird  flies. 

162 


Brown,  Olive  or  Grayish  Brown,  and  Brown  and  Gray  Sparrowy  Birds 

Range — North  America,  especially  common  in  eastern  parts  from 

Hudson  Bay  to  Gulf  of  Mexico.     Winters  south  of  Virginia. 
Migrations — April.     October.     Common  summer  resident. 

Among  the  least  conspicuous  birds,  sparrows  arc  the  easiest 
to  classify  for  that  very  reason,  and  certain  prominent  features  of 
the  half  dozen  commonest  of  the  tribe  make  their  identification 
simple  even  to  the  merest  novice.  The  distinguishing  marks  of 
this  sparrow  that  haunts  open,  breezy  pasture  lands  and  country 
waysides  are  its  bright,  reddish-brown  wing  coverts,  prominent 
among  its  dingy,  pale  brownish-gray  feathers,  and  its  white  tail- 
quills,  shown  as  the  bird  flies  along  the  road  ahead  of  you  to 
light  upon  the  fence-rail.  It  rarely  flies  higher,  even  to  sing  its 
serene,  pastoral  strain,  restful  as  the  twilight,  of  which,  indeed,  it 
seems  to  be  the  vocal  expression.  How  different  from  the  ecstatic 
outburst  of  the  song  sparrow  !  Pensive,  but  not  sad,  its  long- 
drawn  silvery  notes  continue  in  quavers  that  float  off  unended 
like  a  trail  of  mist.  The  song  is  suggestive  of  the  thoughts  that 
must  come  at  evening  to  some  New  England  saint  of  humble 
station  after  a  well-spent,  soul-uplifting  day. 

But  while  the  vesper  sparrow  sings  oftenest  and  most  sweetly 
in  the  late  afternoon  and  continues  singing  until  only  he  and  the 
rose-breasted  grosbeak  break  the  silence  of  the  early  night,  his  is 
one  of  the  first  voices  to  join  the  morning  chorus.  No  "early 
worm,"  however,  tempts  him  from  his  grassy  nest,  for  the  seeds 
in  the  pasture  lands  and  certain  tiny  insects  that  live  among  the 
grass  furnish  meals  at  all  hours.  He  simply  delights  in  the  cool, 
still  morning  and  evening  hours  and  in  giving  voice  to  his  enjoy- 
ment of  them. 

The  vesper  sparrow  is  preeminently  a  grass-bird.  It  first 
opens  its  eyes  on  the  world  in  a  nest  neatly  woven  of  grasses, 
laid  on  the  ground  among  the  grass  that  shelters  it  and  furnishes 
it  with  food  and  its  protective  coloring.  Only  the  grazing  cattle 
know  how  many  nests  and  birds  are  hidden  in  their  pastures. 
Like  the  meadowlarks,  their  presence  is  not  even  suspected  until 
a  flock  is  flushed  from  its  feeding  ground,  only  to  return  to  the 
spot  when  you  have  passed  on  your  way.  Like  the  meadowlark 
again,  the  vesper  sparrow  occasionally  sings  as  it  soars  upward 
from  its  grassy  home. 


163 


Brown,  Olive  or  Grayish  Brown,  and  Brown  and  Gray  Sparrowy  Birds 

White-crowned  Sparrow 

(Zonotrichia  leucophrys)  Finch  family 

Length — 7  inches.     A  little  larger  than  the  English  sparrow. 

j/^/^_White  head,  with  four  longitudinal  black  lines  marking  off 
a  crown,  the  black-and-white  stripes  being  of  about  equal 
width.  Cheeks,  nape,  and  throat  gray.  Light  gray  under- 
neath, with  some  buff  tints.  Back  dark  grayish  brown, 
some  feathers  margined  with  gray.  Two  interrupted  white 
bars  across  wings.  Plain,  dusky  tail  ;  total  effect,  a  clear 
ashen  gray. 

Female — With  rusty  head  inclining  to  gray  on  crown.  Paler 
throughout  than  the  male. 

Range — From  high  mountain  ranges  of  western  United  States 
(more  rarely  on  Pacific  slope)  to  Atlantic  Ocean,  and  from 
Labrador  to  Mexico.     Chiefly  south  of  Pennsylvania. 

Migrations — October.  April.  Irregular  migrant  in  Northern  States. 
A  winter  resident  elsewhere. 

The  large  size  and  handsome  markings  of  this  aristocratic- 
looking  Northern  sparrow  would  serve  to  distinguish  him  at  once, 
did  he  noli  often  consort  with  his  equally  fine-looking  white- 
throated  cousins  while  migrating,  and  so  too  often  get  over- 
looked. Sparrows  are  such  gregarious  birds  that  it  is  well  to 
scrutinize  every  flock  with  especial  care  in  the  spring  and  autumn, 
when  the  rarer  migrants  are  passing.  This  bird  is  more  common 
in  the  high  altitudes  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  and  Rocky  Mountains 
than  elsewhere  in  the  United  States.  There  in  the  lonely  forest 
it  nests  in  low  bushes  or  on  the  ground,  and  sings  its  full  love- 
song,  as  it  does  in  the  northern  British  provinces,  along  the  Atlan- 
tic coast  ;  but  during  the  migrations  it  favors  us  only  with 
selections  from  its  repertoire.  Mr.  Ernest  Thompson  says,  "Its 
usual  song  is  like  the  latter  half  of  the  white-throat's  familiar  re- 
frain, repeated  a  number  of  times  with  a  peculiar,  sad  cadence  and 
in  a  clear,  soft  whistle  that  is  characteristic  of  the  group."  "The 
song  is  the  loudest  and  most  plaintive  of  all  the  sparrow  songs," 
says  John  Burroughs.  "  It  begins  with  the  words /<?-m,  fe-u,fe-u, 
and  runs  off  into  trills  and  quavers  like  the  song  sparrow's,  only 
much  more  touching."  Colorado  miners  tell  that  this  sparrow, 
like  its  white-throated  relative,  sings  on  the  darkest  nights. 
Often  a  score  or  more  birds  are  heard  singing  at  once  after  the 

164 


Brown,  Olive  or  Grayish  Brown,  and  Brown  and  Gray  Sparrowy  Birds 

habit  of  the  European  nightingales,  which,  however,  choose  to 
sing  only  in  the  moonlight. 


White-throated  Sparrow 

( Zonotrichia  albicollis)  Finch  family 

Called  also:  PEABODY  BIRD;  CANADA  SPARROW 

Lefigth — 6.75  to  7  inches.     Larger  than  the  English  sparrow. 

Male  and  Female — A  black  crown  divided  by  narrow  white  line. 
Yellow  spot  before  the  eye,  and  a  white  line,  apparently  run- 
ning through  it,  passes  backward  to  the  nape.  Conspicuous 
white  throat.  Chestnut  back,  varied  with  black  and  whitish. 
Breast  gray,  growing  lighter  underneath.  Wings  edged 
with  rufous  and  with  two  white  cross-bars. 

Range — Eastern  North  America.  Nests  from  Michigan  and  Mas- 
sachusetts northward  to  Labrador.  Winters  from  southern 
New  England  to  Florida. 

Migratiofis — April.  October.  Abundant  during  migrations,  and 
in  many  States  a  winter  resident. 

" l-l.  Pea-body,  Pea-body,  Pea-body,"  are  the  syllables  of  the 
white-throat's  song  heard  by  the  good  New  Englanders,  who 
have  a  tradition  that  you  must  either  be  a  Peabody  or  a  nobody 
there;  while  just  over  the  British  border  the  bird  is  distinctly  un- 
derstood to  say,  "  Swee-e-e-t  Can-a-da,  Can-a-da,  Can-a-da." 
"All  day,  whit-tle-ing,  whit-tle-ing,  whit-tle-ing,"  the  Maine 
people  declare  he  sings  ;  and  Hamilton  Gibson  told  of  a  per- 
plexed farmer,  Peverly  by  name,  who,  as  he  stood  in  the  field 
undecided  as  to  what  crop  to  plant,  clearly  heard  the  bird  advise, 
"Sow  wheat,  Pev-er-ly,  Pev-er-ly,  Pev-er-ly."  Such  divergence 
of  opinion,  which  is  really  slight  compared  with  the  verbal  record 
of  many  birds'  songs,  only  goes  to  show  how  little  the  sweet- 
ness of  birds'  music,  like  the  perfume  of  a  rose,  depends  upon  a 
name. 

In  a  family  not  distinguished  for  good  looks,  the  white- 
throated  sparrow  is  conspicuously  handsome,  especially  after  the 
spring  moult.  In  midwinter  the  feathers  grow  dingy  and  the 
markings  indistinct  ;  but  as  the  season  advances,  his  colors  are 
sure  to  brighten  perceptibly,  and  before  he  takes  the  northward 
journey  in  April,  any  little  lady  sparrow  might  feel  proud  of  the 

165 


iBrown,  Olive  or  Grayish  Brown,  and  Brown  and  Gray  Sparrowy  Birds 

attentions  of  so  fine-looking  and  sweet-voiced  a  lover.  The  black, 
white,  and  yellow  markings  on  his  head  are  now  clear  and  beau- 
tiful.    His  figure  is  plump  and  aristocratic. 

These  sparrows  are  particularly  sociable  travellers,  and  cor- 
dially welcome  many  stragglers  to  their  flocks— not  during  the 
mio-rations  only,  but  even  when  winter's  snow  affords  only  the 
barest  gleanings  above  it.  Then  they  boldly  peck  about  the 
dog's  plate  by  the  kitchen  door  and  enter  the  barn-yard,  calling 
their  feathered  friends  with  a  sharp  tseep  to  follow  them.  Seeds 
and  insects  are  their  chosen  food,  and  were  they  not  well  wrapped 
in  an  adipose  coat  under  their  feathers,  there  must  be  many  a 
winter  night  when  they  would  go  shivering,  supperless,  to  their 
perch. 

In  the  dark  of  midnight  one  may  sometimes  hear  the  white- 
throat  softly  singing  in  its  dreams. 


i66 


GREEN,   GREENISH   GRAY,   OLIVE,   AND 
YELLOWISH  OLIVE  BIRDS 

Tree  Swallow 

Ruby-throated  Humming-bird 
Golden-crowned  Kinglet 
Ruby-crowned  Kinglet 
Solitary  Vireo 
Red-eyed  Vireo 
White-eyed  Vireo 
Warbling  Vireo 
Ovenbird 

Worm-eating  Warbler 
Acadian  Flycatcher 
Yellow-bellied  Flycatcher 
Black-throated  Green  Warbler 


Look  also  among  the  Olive-brown  Birds,  especially  for  the  Cuckoos,  Alice's 
and  the  Olive-backed  Thrushes;  and  look  in  the  yellow  group,  many  of  whose  birds 
are  olive  also.  See  also  females  of  the  Red  Crossbill,  Orchard  Oriole,  Scarlet 
Tanager,  Summer  Tanager. 


GREEN,    GREENISH    GRAY,    OLIVE,.  AND 
YELLOWISH    OLIVE   BIRDS 

Tree  Swallow 

(Tachycineta  hicolor)  Swallow  family 

C^//^^a/^^;  WHITE-BELLIED   SWALLOW 

Length — 5  to  6  inches.  A  little  shorter  than  the  English  sparrow, 
but  apparently  much  larger  because  of  its  wide  wing-spread. 

Male — Lustrous  dark  steel-green  above;  darker  and  shading  into 
black  on  wings  and  tail,  which  is  forked.  Under  parts  soft 
white. 

Female — Duller  than  male. 

Range — North  America,  from  Hudson  Bay  to  Panama, 

Migrations — End  of  March.    September  or  later.    Summer  resident. 

"  The  stork  in  the  heaven  knoweth  her  appointed  times:  and  the  turtle  and  the 
crane  and  the  swallow  observe  the  time  of  their  coming." — ^Jeremiah,  viii.  7. 

The  earliest  of  the  family  to  appear  in  the  spring,  the  tree 
swallow  comes  skimming  over  the  freshly  ploughed  fields  with 
a  wide  sweep  of  the  wings,  in  what  appears  to  be  a  perfect 
ecstasy  of  flight.  More  shy  of  the  haunts  of  man,  and  less  gre- 
garious than  its  cousins,  it  is  usually  to  be  seen  during  migration 
flying  low  over  the  marshes,  ponds,  and  streams  with  a  few 
chosen  friends,  keeping  up  an  incessant  warbling  twitter  while 
performing  their  bewildering  and  tireless  evolutions  as  they  catch 
their  food  on  the  wing.  Their  white  breasts  flash  in  the  sun- 
light, and  it  is  only  when  they  dart  near  you,  and  skim  close 
along  the  surface  of  the  water,  that  you  discover  their  backs  to 
be  not  black,  but  rich,  dark  green,  glossy  to  iridescence. 

It  is  probable  that  these  birds  keep  near  the  waterways 
because  their  favorite  insects  and  wax-berries  are  more  plentiful 
in  such  places;  but  this  peculiarity  has  led  many  people  to  the 

169 


Green,  Greenish  Gray,  Olive,  and  Yellowish  Olive  Birds 

absurd  belief  that  the  tree  swallow  buries  itself  under  the  mud  of 
ponds  in  winter  in  a  state  of  hibernation.  No  bird's  breathing 
apparatus  is  made  to  operate  under  mud. 

In  unsettled  districts  these  swallows  nest  in  hollow  trees, 
hence  their  name;  but  with  that  laziness  that  forms  a  part  of  the 
degeneracy  of  civilization,  they  now  gladly  accept  the  boxes 
about  men's  homes  set  up  for  the  martins.  Thousands  of  these 
beautiful  birds  have  been  shot  on  the  Long  Island  marshes  and 
sold  to  New  York  epicures  for  snipe. 


Ruby-throated   Humming-bird 

(Trochihis  coltihris)  Humming-bird  family 

Length — 3.5  to  3.75  inches.  A  trifle  over  half  as  long  as  the  Eng- 
lish sparrow.     The  smallest  bird  we  have. 

Male — Bright  metallic  green  above ;  wings  and  tail  darkest,  with 
ruddy-purplish  reflections  and  dusky-white  tips  on  outer  tail- 
quills.  Throat  and  breast  brilliant  metallic-red  in  one  light, 
orange  flame  in  another,  and  dusky  orange  in  another, 
according  as  the  light  strikes  the  plumage.  Sides  greenish ; 
underneath  lightest  gray,  with  whitish  border  outlining  the 
brilliant  breast.     Bill  long  and  needle-like. 

Female — Without  the  brilliant  feathers  on  throat;  darker  gray 
beneath.  Outer  tail-quills  are  banded  with  black  and  tipped 
with  white. 

Range — Eastern  North  America,  from  northern  Canada  to  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico  in  summer.     Winters  in  Central  America. 

Migrations — May.     October.     Common  summer  resident. 

This  smallest,  most  exquisite  and  unabashed  of  our  bird 
neighbors  cannot  be  mistaken,  for  it  is  the  only  one  of  its  kin 
found  east  of  the  plains  and  north  of  Florida,  although  about  four 
hundred  species,  native  only  to  the  New  World,  have  been  named 
by  scientists.  How  does  it  happen  that  this  little  tropical  jewel 
alone  flashes  about  our  Northern  gardens  ?  Does  it  never  stir  the 
spirit  of  adventure  and  emulation  in  the  glistening  breasts  of  its 
stay-at-home  cousins  in  the  tropics  by  tales  of  luxuriant  tangles 
of  honeysuckle  and  clematis  on  our  cottage  porches;  of  deep- 
cupped  trumpet-flowers  climbing  over  the  walls  of  old-fashioned 
gardens,  where  larkspur,  narcissus,  roses,  and  phlox,  that  crowd 
the  box-edged  beds,  are  more  gay  and  honey-laden  than  their 

170 


Green,  Greenish  Gray,  Olive,  and  Yellowish  Olive  Birds 

little  brains  can  picture?  Apparently  it  takes  only  the  wish  to  be 
in  a  place  to  transport  one  of  these  little  fairies  either  from  the 
honeysuckle  trellis  to  the  canna  bed  or  from  Yucatan  to  the  Hud- 
son. It  is  easy  to  see  how  to  will  and  to  fly  are  allied  in  the 
minds  of  the  humming-birds,  as  they  are  in  the  Latin  tongue. 
One  minute  poised  in  midair,  apparently  motionless  before  a 
flower  while  draining  the  nectar  from  its  deep  cup — though  the 
humming  of  its  wings  tells  that  it  is  suspended  there  by  no  magic 
— the  next  instant  it  has  flashed  out  of  sight  as  if  a  fairy's  wand 
had  made  it  suddenly  invisible.  Without  seeing  the  hummer,  it 
might  be,  and  often  is,  mistaken  for  a  bee  improving  the  "shin- 
ing hour." 

At  evening  one  often  hears  of  a  "humming-bird"  going  the 
rounds  of  the  garden,  but  at  this  hour  it  is  usually  the  sphinx- 
moth  hovering  above  the  flower-beds — the  one  other  creature  be- 
sides the  bee  for  which  the  bird  is  ever  mistaken.  The  postures 
and  preferences  of  this  beautiful  large  moth  make  the  mistake  a 
very  natural  one. 

The  ruby-throat  is  strangely  fearless  and  unabashed.  It  will 
dart  among  the  vines  on  the  veranda  while  the  entire  household 
are  assembled  there,  and  add  its  hum  to  that  of  the  conversation 
in  a  most  delightfully  neighborly  way.  Once  a  glistening  little 
sprite,  quite  undaunted  by  the  size  of  an  audience  that  sat  almost 
breathless  enjoying  his  beauty,  thrust  his  bill  into  one  calyx  after 
another  on  a  long  sprig  of  honeysuckle  held  in  the  hand. 

And  yet,  with  all  its  friendliness — or  is  it  simply  fearlessness.? 
— the  bird  is  a  desperate  duellist,  and  will  longe  his  deadly  blade 
into  the  jewelled  breast  of  an  enemy  at  the  slightest  provocation 
and  quicker  than  thought.  All  the  heat  of  his  glowing  throat 
seems  to  be  transferred  to  his  head  while  the  fight  continues, 
sometimes  even  to  the  death — a  cruel,  but  marvellously  beautiful 
sight  as  the  glistening  birds  dart  and  tumble  about  beyond  the 
range  of  peace-makers. 

High  up  in  a  tree,  preferably  one  whose  knots  and  lichen- 
covered  excrescences  are  calculated  to  help  conceal  the  nest  that 
so  cleverly  imitates  them,  the  mother  humming-bird  saddles  her 
exquisite  cradle  to  a  horizontal  limb.  She  lines  it  with  plant- 
down,  fluffy  bits  from  cat-tails,  and  the  fronds  of  fern,  felting 
the  material  into  a  circle  that  an  elm-leaf  amply  roofs  over.  Out- 
side, lichens  or  bits  of  bark  blend  the  nest  so  harmoniously  with 

171 


Green,  Greenish  Gray,  Olive,  and  Yellowish  Olive  Birds 

its  surroundings  that  one  may  look  long  and  thoroughly  before 
discovering  it.  Two  infinitesimal,  white  eggs  tax  the  nest  ac- 
commodation to  its  utmost. 

In  the  mating  season  the  female  may  be  seen  perching — a 
posture  one  rarely  catches  her  gay  lover  in— preening  her  dainty 
but  sombre  feathers  with  ladylike  nicety.  The  young  birds  do  a 
great  deal  of  perching  before  they  gain  the  marvellously  rapid 
wing-motions  of  maturity,  but  they  are  ready  to  fly  within  three 
weeks  after  they  are  hatched.  By  the  time  the  trumpet-vine  is 
in  bloom  they  dart  and  sip  and  utter  a  shrill  little  squeak  among 
the  flowers,  in  company  with  the  old  birds. 

During  the  nest-building  and  incubation  the  male  bird  keeps 
so  aggressively  on  the  defensive  that  he  often  betrays  to  a  hitherto 
unsuspecting  intruder  the  location  of  his  home.  After  the  young 
birds  have  to  be  fed  he  is  most  diligent  in  collecting  food,  that 
consists  not  alone  of  the  sweet  juices  of  flowers,  as  is  popularly 
supposed,  but  also  of  aphides  and  plant-lice  that  his  proboscis-like 
tongue  licks  off  the  garden  foliage  literally  like  a  streak  of  lightning. 

Both  parents  feed  the  young  by  regurgitation— a  process 
disgusting  to  the  human  observer,  whose  stomach  involuntarily 
revolts  at  the  sight  so  welcome  to  the  tiny,  squeaking,  hungry 
birds. 

Ruby-crowned  Kinglet 

(Regulus  calendula)  Kinglet  family 

C«//^^^/5^.-   RUBY-CROWNED    WREN;    RUBY-CROWNED 

WARBLER 

Length— 4.2^  to  4.5  inches.     About  two  inches  smaller  than  the 

English  sparrow. 
Male— Upper  parts  grayish  olive-green,  brighter  nearer  the  tail; 

wings  and  tail  dusky,   edged  with  yellowish  olive.     Two 

whitish  wing-bars.     Breast  and  underneath  light  yellowish 

gray.     In  the  adult  male  a  vermilion  spot  on  crown  of  his 

ash-gray  head. 
J^ema/e—S\mi\ar,  but  without  the  vermilion  crest. 
J?a/ige— 'North   America.      Breeds  from   northern  United   States 

northward.     Winters  from  southern  limits  of  its  breeding 

range  to  Central  America  and  Mexico. 
Migrations — October.      April.      Rarely  a  winter  resident  at  the 

North.     Most  common  during  its  migrations. 

172 


Green,  Greenish  Gray,  Olive,  and  Yellowish  Olive  Birds 

A  trifle  larger  than  the  golden-crowned  kinglet,  with  a  ver- 
milion crest  instead  of  a  yellow  and  flame  one,  and  with  a  decided 
preference  for  a  warmer  winter  climate,  and  the  ruby-crown's  chief 
distinguishing  characteristics  are  told.  These  rather  confusing 
relatives  would  be  less  puzzling  if  it  were  the  habit  of  either  to 
keep  quiet  long  enough  to  focus  the  opera-glasses  on  their 
crowns,  which  it  only  rarely  is  while  some  particularly  promising 
haunt  of  insects  that  lurk  beneath  the  rough  bark  of  the  ever- 
greens has  to  be  thoroughly  explored.  At  all  other  times  both 
kinglets  keep  up  an  incessant  fluttering  and  twinkling  among 
the  twigs  and  leaves  at  the  ends  of  the  branches,  jerking  their 
tiny  bodies  from  twig  to  twig  in  the  shrubbery,  hanging  head 
downward,  like  a  nuthatch,  and  most  industriously  feeding  every 
second  upon  the  tiny  insects  and  larvae  hidden  beneath  the  bark 
and  leaves.  They  seem  to  be  the  feathered  expression  of  perpet- 
ual motion.  And  how  dainty  and  charming  these  tiny  sprites 
are!  They  are  not  at  all  shy;  you  may  approach  them  quite 
close  if  you  will,  for  the  birds  are  simply  too  intent  on  their  busi- 
ness to  be  concerned  with  yours. 

If  a  sharp  lookout  be  kept  for  these  ruby-crowned  migrants, 
that  too  often  slip  away  to  the  south  before  we  know  they  have 
come,  we  notice  that  they  appear  about  a  fortnight  ahead  of  the 
golden-crested  species,  since  the  mild,  soft  air  of  our  Indian  sum- 
mer is  exactly  to  their  liking.  At  this  season  there  is  nothing  in 
the  bird's  "thin,  metallic  call-note,  like  a  vibrating  wire,"  to 
indicate  that  he  is  one  of  our  finest  songsters.  But  listen  for  him 
during  the  spring  migration,  when  a  love-song  is  already  ripen- 
ing in  his  tiny  throat.  What  a  volume  of  rich,  lyrical  melody 
pours  from  the  Norway  spruce,  where  the  little  musician  is  simply 
practising  to  perfect  the  richer,  fuller  song  that  he  sings  to  his 
nesting  mate  in  the  far  north !  The  volume  is  really  tremendous, 
coming  from  so  tiny  a  throat.  Those  who  have  heard  it  in 
northern  Canada  describe  it  as  a  flute-like  and  mellow  warble 
full  of  intricate  phrases  past  the  im.itating.  Dr.  Coues  says  of  it: 
"  The  kinglet's  exquisite  vocalization  defies  description." 

Curiously  enough,  the  nest  of  this  bird,  that  is  not  at  all  rare, 
has  been  discovered  only  six  times.  It  would  appear  to  be  over- 
large  for  the  tiny  bird,  until  we  remember  that  kinglets  are  wont 
to  have  a  numerous  progeny  in  their  pensile,  globular  home.  It 
is  made  of  light,  flimsy  material — moss,  strips  of  bark,  and  plant- 

i73 


Green,  Greenish  Gray,  Olive,  and  Yellowish  Olive  Birds 

fibre  well  knit  together  and  cosily  lined  with  feathers,  which  must 
be  a  grateful  addition  to  the  babies,  where  they  are  reared  in 
evergreens  in  cold,  northern  woods. 


Golden-crowned  Kinglet 

(Regtilns  satrapa)  Kinglet  family 

Called  also:    GOLDEN-CROWNED    GOLDCREST  ;     FIERY- 
CROWNED   WREN 

Length — 4  to  4.25  inches.  About  two  inches  smaller  than  the 
English  sparrow. 

Male — Upper  parts  grayish  olive-green  ;  wings  and  tail  dusky, 
margined  with  olive-green.  Underneath  soiled  whitish. 
Centre  of  crown  bright  orange,  bordered  by  yellow  and  en- 
closed by  black  line.  Cheeks  gray  ;  a  whitish  line  over  the 
eye. 

Female — Similar,  but  centre  of  crown  lemon-yellow  and  more 
grayish  underneath. 

Range — North  America  generally.  Breeds  from  northern  United 
States  northward.  Winters  chiefly  from  North  Carolina  to 
Central  America,  but  many  remain  north  all  the  year. 

Migrations — September.  April.  Chiefly  a  winter  resident  south 
of  Canada. 

If  this  cheery  little  winter  neighbor  would  keep  quiet  long 
enough,  we  might  have  a  glimpse  of  the  golden  crest  that  dis- 
tinguishes him  from  his  equally  lively  cousin,  the  ruby-crowned  ; 
but  he  is  so  constantly  flitting  about  the  ends  of  the  twigs,  peer- 
ing at  the  bark  for  hidden  insects,  twinkling  his  wings  and  flut- 
tering among  the  evergreens  with  more  nervous  restlessness  than 
a  vireo,  that  you  may  know  him  well  before  you  have  a  glimpse 
of  his  tri-colored  crown. 

When  the  autumn  foliage  is  all  aglow  with  yellow  and  flame 
this  tiny  sprite  comes  out  of  the  north,  where  neither  nesting  nor 
moulting  could  rob  him  of  his  cheerful  spirits.  Except  the  hum- 
ming-bird and  the  winter  wren,  he  is  the  smallest  bird  we  have. 
And  yet,  somewhere  stored  up  in  his  diminutive  body,  is  warmth 
enough  to  withstand  zero  weather.  With  evident  enjoyment  of 
the  cold,  he  calls  out  a  shrill,  wiry  ^ee,  T^ee,  ^ee,  that  rings  merrily 
^rom  the  pines  and  spruces  when  our  fingers  are  too  numb  to 
Hold  the  opera-glasses  in  an  attempt  to  follow  his  restless  flittings 

m 


Green,  Greenish  Gray,  Olive,  and  Yellowish  Olive  Birds 

from  branch  to  branch.  Is  it  one  of  the  unwritten  laws  of  birds 
that  the  smaller  their  bodies  the  greater  their  activity  ? 

When  you  see  one  kinglet  about,  you  may  be  sure  there  are 
others  not  far  away,  for,  except  in  the  nesting  season,  its  habits 
are  distinctly  social,  its  friendliness  extending  to  the  humdrum 
brown  creeper,  the  chickadees,  and  the  nuthatches,  in  whose 
company  it  is  often  seen  ;  indeed,  it  is  likely  to  be  in  almost  any 
flock  of  the  winter  birds.  They  are  a  merry  band  as  they  go  ex- 
ploring the  trees  together.  The  kinglet  can  hang  upside  down, 
too,  like  the  other  acrobats,  many  of  whose  tricks  he  has  learned  ; 
and  it  can  pick  off  insects  from  a  tree  with  as  business-hke  an 
air  as  the  brown  creeper,  but  with  none  of  that  soulless  bird's 
plodding  precision. 

In  the  early  spring,  just  before  this  busy  little  sprite  leaves  us 
to  nest  in  Canada  or  Labrador — for  heat  is  the  one  thing  that  he 
can't  cheerfully  endure — a  gushing,  lyrical  song  bursts  from  his 
tiny  throat — a  song  whose  volume  is  so  out  of  proportion  to  the 
bird's  size  that  Nuttall's  classification  of  kinglets  with  wrens 
doesn't  seem  far  wrong  after  all. 

Only  rarely  is  a  nest  found  so  far  south  as  the  White  Moun- 
tains. It  is  said  to  be  extraordinarily  large  for  so  small  a  bird  ; 
but  that  need  not  surprise  us  when  we  learn  that  as  many  as  ten 
creamy-white  eggs,  blotched  with  brown  and  lavender,  are  no 
uncommon  number  for  the  pensile  cradle  to  hold.  How  do  the 
tiny  parents  contrive  to  cover  so  many  eggs  and  to  feed  such  a 
nestful  of  fledglings  ? 

Solitary  Vlreo 

(Vireo  solitarius)  Vireo  or  Greenlet  family 

Called  also:  BLUE-HEADED  VIREO 

Length — 5.5  to  7  inches.  A  little  smaller  than  the  English 
sparrow. 

Male — Dusky  olive  above  ;  head  bluish  gray,  with  a  white  line 
around  the  eye,  spreading  behind  the  eye  into  a  patch.  Be- 
neath whitish,  with  yellow-green  wash  on  the  sides.  Wings 
dusky  olive,  with  two  distinct  white  bars.  Tail  dusky,  some 
quills  edged  with  white. 

Female — Similar,  but  her  head  is  dusky  olive. 

Range — United  States  to  plains,  and  the  southern  British  prov- 
inces.    Winters  in  Florida  and  southward. 

^7S 


Green,  Greenish  Gray,  Olive,  and  Yellowish  Olive  Birds 

Migrations — May,     Early  October.     Common  during  migrations; 
more  rarely  a  summer  resident  south  of  Massachusetts. 

By  no  means  the  recluse  that  its  name  would  imply,  the 
solitary  vireo,  while  a  bird  of  the  woods,  shows  a  charming  curi- 
osity about  the  stranger  with  opera-glasses  in  hand,  who  has 
penetrated  to  the  deep,  swampy  tangles,  where  it  chooses  to 
live.  Peering  at  you  through  the  green  undergrowth  with  an 
eye  that  seems  especially  conspicuous  because  of  its  encircling 
white  rim,  it  is  at  least  as  sociable  and  cheerful  as  any  member  of 
its  family,  and  Mr.  Bradford  Torrey  credits  it  with  "winning 
lameness."  "Wood-bird  as  it  is,"  he  says,  "it  will  sometimes 
permit  the  greatest  familiarities.  Two  birds  I  have  seen,  which 
allowed  themselves  to  be  stroked  in  the  freest  manner,  while  sit- 
ting on  the  eggs,  and  which  ate  from  my  hand  as  readily  as  any 
pet  canary." 

The  solitary  vireo  also  builds  a  pensile  nest,  swung  from  the 
crotch  of  a  branch,  not  so  high  from  the  ground  as  the  yellow- 
throated  vireo's  nor  so  exquisitely  finished,  but  still  a  beautiful 
little  structure  of  pine-needles,  plant-fibre,  dry  leaves,  and  twigs, 
all  lichen-lined  and  bound  and  rebound  with  coarse  spiders'  webs. 

The  distinguishing  quality  of  this  vireo's  celebrated  song  is  its 
tenderness  :  a  pure,  serene  uplifting  of  its  loving,  trustful  nature 
that  seems  inspired  by  a  fine  spirituality. 


Red-eyed  Vireo 

(Vireo  olivaceus)  Vireo  or  Greenlet  family 

Called  also:   THE   PREACHER 

Length — 5.75  to  6.25  inches.  A  fraction  smaller  than  the  English 
sparrow. 

Male  and  Female — Upper  parts  light  olive-green;  well-defined 
slaty-gray  cap,  with  black  marginal  line,  below  which,  and 
forming  an  exaggerated  eyebrow,  is  a  line  of  white.  A 
brownish  band  runs  from  base  of  bill  through  the  eye.  The 
iris  is  ruby-red.  Underneath  white,  shaded  with  light  green- 
ish yellow  on  sides  and  on  under  tail  and  wing  coverts. 

Range — United  States  to  Rockies  and  northward.  Winters  in 
Central  and  South  America. 

Migrations — April.     October.     Common  summer  resident. 

176 


RED-EYED    VIREO 


Green,  Greenish  Gray,  Olive,  and  Yellowish  Olive  Birds 

"You  see  it — you  know  it — do  you  hear  me?  Do  you  be- 
lieve it  ?  "  is  Wilson  Flagg's  famous  interpretation  of  the  song  of 
this  commonest  of  all  the  vireos,  that  you  cannot  mistake  with 
such  a  key.  He  calls  the  bird  the  preacher  from  its  declamatory 
style:  an  up-and-down  warble  delivered  with  a  rising  inflection 
at  the  close  and  followed  by  an  impressive  silence,  as  if  the  little 
green  orator  were  saying,  "  I  pause  for  a  reply." 

Notwithstanding  its  quiet  coloring,  that  so  closely  resembles 
the  leaves  it  hunts  among,  this  vireo  is  rather  more  noticeable 
than  its  relatives  because  of  its  slaty  cap  and  the  black-and-white 
lines  over  its  ruby  eye,  that,  in  addition  to  the  song,  are  its  marked 
characteristics. 

Whether  she  is  excessively  stupid  or  excessively  kind,  the 
mother-vireo  has  certainly  won  for  herself  no  end  of  ridicule  by 
allowing  the  cowbird  to  deposit  a  stray  egg  in  the  exquisitely 
made,  pensile  nest,  where  her  own  tiny  white  eggs  are  lying; 
and  though  the  young  cowbird  crowd  and  worry  her  little  fledg- 
lings and  eat  their  dinner  as  fast  as  she  can  bring  it  in,  no  dis- 
pleasure or  grudging  is  shown  towards  the  dusky  intruder  that 
is  sure  to  upset  the  rightful  heirs  out  of  the  nest  before  they  are 
able  to  fly. 

In  the  heat  of  a  midsummer  noon,  when  nearly  every  other 
bird's  voice  is  hushed,  and  only  the  locust  seems  to  rejoice  in 
the  fierce  sunshine,  the  little  red-eyed  vireo  goes  persistently 
about  its  business  of  gathering  insects  from  the  leaves,  not  flit- 
ting nervously  about  like  a  warbler,  or  taking  its  food  on  the 
wing  like  a  flycatcher,  but  patiently  and  industriously  dining 
where  it  can,  and  singing  as  it  goes. 

When  a  worm  is  caught  it  is  first  shaken  against  a  branch  to 
kill  it  before  it  is  swallowed.  Vireos  haunt  shrubbery  and-  trees 
with  heavy  foliage,  all  their  hunting,  singing,  resting,  and  home- 
building  being  done  among  the  leaves — never  on  the  ground. 

White-eyed  Vireo 

(yireo  novehoracensis)  Vireo  or  Greenlet  family 

Length — 5  to   5.3   inches.      An   inch   shorter   than   the    English 

sparrow. 
Male  and  Female — Upper  parts  bright  olive-green,  washed  with 

grayish.      Throat  and   underneath   white;   the   breast   and 

177 


Green,  Greenish  Gray,  Olive,  and  Yellowish  Olive  Birds 

sides  greenish  yellow;  wings  have  two  distinct  bars  of 
yellowish  white.  Yellow  line  from  beak  to  and  around  the 
eye,  which  has  a  white  iris.  Feathers  of  wings  and  tail 
brownish  and  edged  with  yellow. 

Range — United  States  to  the  Rockies,  and  to  the  Gulf  regions  and 
beyond  in  winter. 

Migrations — May.     September.     Summer  resident. 

"  Pertest  of  songsters,"  the  white-eyed  vireo  makes  what- 
ever neighborhood  it  enters  lively  at  once.  Taking  up  a  resi- 
dence in  the  tangled  shrubbery  or  thickety  undergrowth,  it 
immediately  begins  to  scold  like  a  crotchety  old  wren.  It 
becomes  irritated  over  the  merest  trifles — a  passing  bumblebee, 
a  visit  from  another  bird  to  its  tangle,  an  unsuccessful  peck  at  a 
gnat— anything  seems  calculated  to  rouse  its  wrath  and  set  every 
feather  on  its  little  body  a-trembling,  while  it  sharply  snaps  out 
what  might  perhaps  be  freely  constructed  into  "  cuss-words." 

And  yet  the  inscrutable  mystery  is  that  this  virago  meekly 
permits  the  lazy  cowbird  to  deposit  an  egg  in  its  nest,  and  will 
patiently  sit  upon  it,  though  it  is  as  large  as  three  of  her  own  tiny 
eggs;  and  when  the  little  interloper  comes  out  from  his  shell  the 
mother-bird  will  continue  to  give  it  the  most  devoted  care  long 
after  it  has  shoved  her  poor  little  starved  babies  out  of  the  nest  to 
meet  an  untimely  death  in  the  smilax  thicket  below. 

An  unusual  variety  of  expression  distinguishes  this  bird's  voice 
from  the  songs  of  the  other  vireos,  which  are  apt  to  be  monoto- 
nous, as  they  are  incessant.  If  you  are  so  fortunate  to  approach 
the  white-eyed  vireo  before  he  suspects  your  presence,  you  may 
hear  him  amusing  himself  by  jumbling  together  snatches  of  the 
songs  of  the  other  birds  in  a  sort  of  potpourri;  or  perhaps  he  will 
be  scolding  or  arguing  with  an  imaginary  foe,  then  dropping  his 
voice  and  talking  confidentially  to  himself  Suddenly  he  bursts 
into  a  charming,  simple  little  song,  as  if  the  introspection  had 
given  him  reason  for  real  joy.  All  these  vocal  accomplishments 
suggest  the  chat  at  once;  but  the  minute  your  intrusion  is  discov- 
ered the  sharp  scolding,  that  is  fairly  screamed  at  you  from  an 
enraged  little  throat,  leaves  no  possible  shadow  of  a  doubt  as  to 
the  bird  you  have  disturbed.  It  has  the  most  emphatic  call  and 
song  to  be  heard  in  the  woods;  it  snaps  its  words  off  very 
short.  " Chick-a-rer  chick"  is  its  usual  call-note,  jerked  out 
with  great  spitefulness. 

178 


WARBLING   VIREO 


Green,  Greenish  Gray,  Olive,  and  Yellowish  Olive  Birds 

Wilson  thus  describes  the  jealously  guarded  nest:  "This 
bird  builds  a  very  neat  little  nest,  often  in  the  figure  of  an  inverted 
cone;  it  is  suspended  by  the  upper  end  of  the  two  sides,  on  the 
circular  bend  of  a  prickly  vine,  a  species  of  smilax,  that  generally 
grows  in  low  thickets.  Outwardly  it  is  constructed  of  various 
light  materials,  bits  of  rotten  wood,  fibres  of  dry  stalks,  of  weeds, 
pieces  of  paper  (commonly  newspapers,  an  article  almost  always 
found  about  its  nest,  so  that  some  of  my  friends  have  given  it 
the  name  of  the  politician);  all  these  materials  are  interwoven 
with  the  silk  of  the  caterpillars,  and  the  inside  is  lined  with  fine, 
dry  grass  and  hair." 


Warbling  Vireo 

(Vireo  gilvus)  Vireo  or  Greenlet  family 

Length — 5.5  to  6  inches.  A  little  smaller  than  the  English  spar- 
row. 

Male  and  Female — Ashy  olive-green  above,  with  head  and  neck 
ash-colored.  Dusky  line  over  the  eye.  Underneath  whitish, 
faintly  washed  with  dull  yellow,  deepest  on  sides  ;  no  bars 
on  wings. 

Range — North  America,  from  Hudson  Bay  to  Mexico. 

Migrations — May.  Late  September  or  early  October.  Summer 
resident. 

This  musical  little  bird  shows  a  curious  preference  for  rows 
of  trees  in  the  village  street  or  by  the  roadside,  where  he  can  be 
sure  of  an  audience  to  listen  to  his  rich,  continuous  warble. 
There  is  a  mellowness  about  his  voice,  which  rises  loud,  but  not 
altogether  cheerfully,  above  the  bird  chorus,  as  if  he  were  a  gifted 
but  slightly  disgruntled  contralto.  Too  inconspicuously  dressed, 
and  usually  too  high  in  the  tree-top  to  be  identified  without  opera- 
glasses,  we  may  easily  mistake  him  by  his  voice  for  one  of  the 
warbler  family,  which  is  very  closely  allied  to  the  vireos.  Indeed, 
this  warbling  vireo  seems  to  be  the  connecting  link  between 
them. 

Morning  and  afternoon,  but  almost  never  in  the  evening,  we 
may  hear  him  rippling  out  song  after  song  as  he  feeds  on  insects 
and  berries  about  the  garden.  But  this  familiarity  lasts  only  until 
nesting  time,  for  off  he  goes  with  his  little  mate  to  some  unfre- 

179 


Green,  Greenish  Gray,  Olive,  and  Yellowish  Olive  Birds 

quented  lane  near  a  wood  until  their  family  is  reared,  when,  with 
a  perceptibly  happier  strain  in  his  voice,  he  once  more  haunts  our 
garden  and  row  of  elms  before  taking  the  southern  journey. 


Ovenbird 

(Seiurus  aurocapillus)  Wood  Warbler  family 

Called  also:  GOLDEN-CROWNED  THRUSH ;  THE  TEACHER; 
WOOD  WAGTAIL  ;  GOLDEN-CROWNED  WAGTAIL  ; 
GOLDEN-CROWNED    ACCENTOR 

Length — 6  to  6. 15  inches.    Just  a  shade  smaller  than  the  English 

sparrow. 
Male  and  Female — Upper   parts   olive,    with    an    orange -brown 

crown,  bordered  by  black  lines  that  converge  toward  the  bill. 

Under  parts  white;  breast  spotted  and  streaked  on  the  sides. 

White  eye-ring. 
Range — United  States,  to  Pacific  slope. 
Migrations — May.     October.     Common  summer  resident. 

Early  in  May  you  may  have  the  good  fortune  to  see  this  little 
bird  of  the  woods  strutting  in  and  out  of  the  garden  shrubbery 
with  a  certain  mock  dignity,  like  a  child  wearing  its  father's 
boots.  Few  birds  can  walk  without  appearing  more  or  less 
ridiculous,  and  however  gracefully  and  prettily  it  steps,  this 
amusing  little  wagtail  is  no  exception.  When  seen  at  all — which 
is  not  often,  for  it  is  shy — it  is  usually  on  the  ground,  not  far 
from  the  shrubbery  or  a  woodland  thicket,  under  which  it  will 
quickly  dodge  out  of  sight  at  the  merest  suspicion  of  a  footstep. 
To  most  people  the  bird  is  only  a  voice  calling,  "  teacher, 
TEACHER,  TEACHER,  TEACHER,  TEACHER/"  as  Mr.  Burroughs 
has  interpreted  the  notes  that  go  off  in  pairs  like  a  series  of  little 
explosions,  softly  at  first,  then  louder  and  louder  and  more  shrill 
until  the  bird  that  you  at  first  thought  for  away  seems  to  be 
shrieking  his  penetrating  crescendo  into  your  very  ears.  But 
you  may  look  until  you  are  tired  before  you  find  him  in  the  high, 
dry  wood,  never  near  water. 

In  the  driest  parts  of  the  wood,  where  the  ground  is  thickly 
carpeted  with  dead  leaves,  you  may  some  day  notice  a  little  bunch 
of  them,  that  look  as  if  a  plant,  in  pushing  its  way  up  through 
the  ground,  had  raised  the  leaves,  rootlets,  and  twigs  a  trifle. 

180 


Green,  Greenish  Gray,  Olive,  and  Yellowish  Olive  Birds 

Examine  the  spot  more  carefully,  and  on  one  side  you  find  an 
opening,  and  within  the  ball  of  earth,  softly  lined  with  grass,  lie 
four  or  five  cream-white,  speckled  eggs.  It  is  only  by  a  happy 
accident  that  this  nest  of  the  ovenbird  is  discovered.  The  con- 
cealment could  not  be  better.  It  is  this  peculiarity  of  nest  con- 
struction— in  shape  like  a  Dutch  oven — that  has  given  the  bird 
what  DeKay  considers  its  "trivial  name."  Not  far  from  the  nest 
the  parent  birds  scratch  about  in  the  leaves,  like  diminutive  barn- 
yard fowls,  for  the  grubs  and  insects  hiding  under  them.  But  at 
the  first  suspicion  of  an  intruder  their  alarm  becomes  pitiful. 
Panic-stricken,  they  become  fairly  limp  with  fear,  and  drooping 
her  wings  and  tail,  the  mother-bird  drags  herself  hither  and 
thither  over  the  ground. 

As  utterly  bewildered  as  his  mate,  the  male  darts,  flies,  and 
tumbles  about  through  the  low  branches,  jerking  and  wagging 
his  tail  in  nervous  spasms  until  you  have  beaten  a  double-quick 
retreat. 

In  nesting  time,  at  evening,  a  very  few  have  heard  the  "  lux- 
urious nuptial  song"  of  the  ovenbird;  but  it  is  a  song  to  haunt 
the  memory  forever  afterward.  Burroughs  appears  to  be  the 
first  writer  to  record  this  "  rare  bit  of  bird  melody."  "  Mounting 
by  easy  flight  to  the  top  of  the  tallest  tree,"  says  the  author  of 
"  Wake-Robin,"  "the  ovenbird  launches  into  the  air  with  a  sort 
of  suspended,  hovering  flight,  like  certain  of  the  finches,  and 
bursts  into  a  perfect  ecstasy  of  song — clear,  ringing,  copious, 
rivalling  the  goldfinch's  in  vivacity  and  the  linnet's  in  melody." 


Worm-eating  Warbler 

( Helmintherus  vermivorus)  Wood  Warbler  family 

Length — 5.50  inches.     Less  than  an  inch  shorter  than  the  English 

sparrow. 
Male  and  Female — Greenish  olive  above.     Head  yellowish  brown, 

with  two  black  stripes   through  crown  to  the   nape;  also 

black  lines  from  the  eyes  to  neck.     Under  parts  buffy  and 

white. 
Range — Eastern  parts  of  United  States.     Nests  as  far  north   as 

southern  Illinois  and  southern  Connecticut.     Winters  in  the 

Gulf  States  and  southward. 
Migrations — May.     September.     Summer  resident. 


Green,  Greenish  Gray,  Olive,  and  Yellowish  Olive  Birds 

In  the  Delaware  Valley  and  along  the  same  parallel,  this 
inconspicuous  warbler  is  abundant,  but  north  of  New  Jersey  it 
is  rare  enough  to  give  an  excitement  to  the  day  on  which  you 
discover  it.  No  doubt  it  is  commoner  than  we  suppose,  for  its 
coloring  blends  so  admirably  with  its  habitats  that  it  is  probably 
very  often  overlooked.  Its  call-note,  a  common  chirp,  has  noth- 
ing distinguishing  about  it,  and  all  ornithologists  confess  to  hav- 
ing been  often  misled  by  its  song  into  thinking  it  came  from  the 
chipping  sparrow.  It  closely  resembles  that  of  the  pine  warbler 
also.  If  it  were  as  nervously  active  as  most  warblers,  we  should 
more  often  discover  it,  but  it  is  quite  as  deliberate  as  a  vireo, 
and  in  the  painstaking  way  in  which  it  often  circles  around  a 
tree  while  searching  for  spiders  and  other  insects  that  infest  the 
trunks,  it  reminds  us  of  the  brown  creeper.  Sunny  slopes  and 
hillsides  covered  with  thick  undergrowth  are  its  preferred  foraging 
and  nesting  haunts.  It  is  often  seen  hopping  directly  on  the  dry 
ground,  where  it  places  its  nest,  and  it  never  mounts  far  above  it. 
The  well-drained,  sunny  situation  for  the  home  is  chosen  with 
the  wisdom  of  a  sanitary  expert. 

Acadian  Flycatcher 

(Empidonax  virescens)  Flycatcher  family 

Called  also:   SMALL   GREEN -CRESTED   FLYCATCHER; 
SMALL   PEWEE 

Length — 5.75  to  6  inches.  A  trifle  smaller  than  the  English 
sparrow. 

Male — Dull  olive  above.  Two  conspicuous  yellowish  wing-bars. 
Throat  white,  shading  mto  pale  yellow  on  breast.  Light 
gray  or  white  underneath.  Upper  part  of  bill  black;  lower 
mandible  flesh-color.     White  eye-ring. 

Female — Greener  above  and  more  yellow  below. 

Hange — From  Canada  to  Mexico,  Central  America,  and  West 
Indies.  Most  common  in  south  temperate  latitudes.  Win- 
ters in  southerly  limit  of  range. 

Migrations — April.     September.     Summer  resident. 

When  all  our  northern  landscape  takes  on  the  exquisite,  soft 
green,  gray,  and  yellow  tints  of  early  spring,  this  little  flycatcher, 
in  perfect  color-harmony  with  the  woods  it  darts  among,  comes 

182 


Green,  Greenish  Gray,  Olive,  and  Yellowish  Olive  Birds 

out  of  the  south.  It  might  be  a  leaf  that  is  being  blown  about, 
touched  by  the  sunshine  filtering  through  the  trees,  and  partly 
shaded  by  the  young  foliage  casting  its  first  shadows. 

Woodlands,  through  which  small  streams  meander  lazily, 
inviting  swarms  of  insects  to  their  boggy  shores,  make  ideal 
hunting  grounds  for  the  Acadian  flycatcher.  It  chooses  a  low 
rather  than  a  high,  conspicuous  perch,  that  other  members  of  its 
family  invariably  select;  and  from  such  a  lookout  it  may  be  seen 
launching  into  the  air  after  the  passing  gnat — darting  downward, 
then  suddenly  mounting  upward  in  its  aerial  hunt,  the  vigorous 
clicks  of  the  beak  as  it  closes  over  its  tiny  victims  testifying  to 
the  bird's  unerring  aim  and  its  hearty  appetite. 

While  perching,  a  constant  tail-twitching  is  kept  up;  and  a 
faint,  fretful  "  Tshee-kee,  tsbee-kee"  escapes  the  bird  when  inac- 
tively waiting  for  a  dinner  to  heave  in  sight. 

In  the  Middle  Atlantic  States  its  peeping  sound  and  the  click- 
ing of  its  particolored  bill  are  infrequently  heard  in  the  village 
streetsin  the  autumn,  when  the  shy  and  solitary  birds  are  enticed 
from  the  deep  woods  by  a  prospect  of  a  more  plentiful  diet  of 
insects,  attracted  by  the  fruit  in  orchards  and  gardens. 

Never  far  from  the  ground,  on  two  or  more  parallel  branches, 
the  shallow,  unsubstantial  nest  is  laid.  Some  one  has  cleverly 
described  it  as  "a  tuft  of  hay  caught  by  the  limb  from  a  load 
driven  under  it,"  but  this  description  omits  all  mention  of  the 
quantities  of  blossoms  that  must  be  gathered  to  line  the  cradle 
for  the  tiny,  pure  white  eggs. 

Yellow-bellied  Flycatcher 

(Empidonax  flaviventris)  Flycatcher  family 

Length—^  to  5.6  inches.  About  an  inch  smaller  than  the  English 
sparrow. 

i>/«/^— Rather  dark,  but  true  olive-green  above.  Throat  and 
breast  yellowish  olive,  shading  into  pale  yellow  underneath, 
including  wing  linings  and  under  tail  coverts.  Wings  have 
yellowish  bars.  Whitish  ring  around  eye.  Upper  part  of 
bill  black,  under  part  whitish  or  flesh-colored. 

Female— Sm2i\\tr,  with  brighter  yellow  under  parts  and  more 
decidedly  yellow  wing-bars. 

^ange—Hox\h  America,  from  Labrador  to  Panama,  and  westward 
from  the  Atlantic  to  the  plains.     Winters  in  Central  America. 

183 


Green,  Greenish  Gray,  Olive,  and  Yellowish  Olive  Birds 

Migrations — May.     September.     Summer  resident.     More  com- 
monly a  migrant  only. 

This  is  the  most  yellow  of  the  small  flycatchers  and  the  only 
Eastern  species  with  a  yellow  instead  of  a  white  throat.  Without 
hearing  its  call-note,  "  pse-ek-pse-ek,"  which  it  abruptly  sneezes 
rather  than  utters,  it  is  quite  impossible,  as  it  darts  among  the 
trees,  to  tell  it  from  the  Acadian  flycatcher,  with  which  even 
Audubon  confounded  it.  Both  these  little  birds  choose  the  same 
sort  of  retreats — well-timbered  woods  near  a  stream  that  attracts 
myriads  of  insects  to  its  spongy  shores — and  both  are  rather  shy 
and  solitary.  The  yellow-bellied  species  has  a  iar  more  northerly 
range,  however,  than  its  Southern  relative  or  even  the  small 
green-crested  flycatcher.  It  is  rare  in  the  Middle  States,  not 
common  even  in  New  England,  except  in  the  migrations,  but 
from  the  Canada  border  northward  its  soft,  plaintive  whistle, 
which  is  its  love-song,  may  be  heard  in  every  forest  where  it 
nests.  All  the  flycatchers  seem  to  make  a  noise  with  so  much 
struggle,  such  convulsive  jerkings  of  head  and  tail,  and  flutterings 
of  the  wings  that,  considering  the  scanty  success  of  their  musical 
attempts,  it  is  surprising  they  try  to  lift  their  voices  at  all  when 
the  effort  almost  literally  lifts  them  off  their  feet. 

While  this  little  flycatcher  is  no  less  erratic  than  its  Acadian 
cousin,  its  nest  is  never  slovenly.  One  couple  had  their  home  in 
a  wild-grape  bower  in  Pennsylvania  ;  a  Virginia  creeper  in  New 
Jersey  supported  another  cradle  that  was  fully  twenty  feet  above 
the  ground  ;  but  in  Labrador,  where  the  bird  has  its  chosen 
breeding  grounds,  the  bulky  nest  is  said  to  be  invariably  placed 
either  in  the  moss  by  the  brookside  or  in  some  old  stump,  should 
the  locality  be  too  swampy. 


Black-throated   Green  Warbler 

(Dendroica  virens)  Wood  Warbler  family 

Length — 5  inches.    Over  an  inch  smaller  than  the  English  sparrow. 

Male — Back  and  crown  of  head  bright  yellowish  olive-green. 
Forehead,  band  over  eye,  cheeks,  and  sides  of  neck  rich 
yellow.  Throat,  upper  breast,  and  stripe  along  sides  black. 
Underneath  yellowish  white.  Wings  and  tail  brownish 
olive,  the  former  with  two  white  bars,  the  latter  with  much 


Green,  Greenish  Gray,  Olive,  and  Yellowish  Olive  Birds 

white  in  outer  quills.     In  autumn,  plumage  resembling  the 
.    female's. 
Female — Similar  ;  chin  yellowish  ;  throat  and  breast  dusky,  the 

black  being  mixed  with  yellowish. 
Range — Eastern   North   America,   from    Hudson    Bay  to  Central 

America  and  Mexico.     Nests  north  of  Illinois  and  New  York. 

Winters  in  tropics. 
Migrations — May.     October.     Common  summer  resident  north 

of  New  Jersey. 

There  can  be  little  difficulty  in  naming  a  bird  so  brilliantly 
and  distinctly  marked  as  this  green,  gold,  and  black  warbler,  that 
lifts  up  a  few  pure,  sweet,  tender  notes,  loud  enough  to  attract 
attention  when  he  visits  the  garden.  "See-see,  see-saw,"  he 
sings,  but  there  is  a  tone  of  anxiety  betrayed  in  the  simple,  syl- 
van strain  that  always  seems  as  if  the  bird  needed  reassuring, 
possibly  due  to  the  rising  inflection,  like  an  interrogative,  of  the 
last  notes. 

However  abundant  about  our  homes  during  the  migrations, 
this  warbler,  true  to  the  family  instinct,  retreats  to  the  woods  to 
nest — not  always  so  far  away  as  Canada,  the  nesting  ground  of 
most  warblers,  for  in  many  Northern  States  the  bird  is  commonly 
found  throughout  the  summer.  Doubtless  it  prefers  tall  ever- 
green trees  for  its  mossy,  grassy  nest;  but  it  is  not  always  par- 
ticular, so  that  the  tree  be  a  tall  one  with  a  convenient  fork  in  an 
upper  branch. 

Early  in  September  increased  numbers  emerge  from  the 
woods,  the  plumage  of  the  male  being  less  brilliant  than  when 
we  saw  it  last,  as  if  the  family  cares  of  the  summer  had  proved 
too  taxing.  For  nearly  a  month  longer  they  hunt  incessantly,  with 
much  flitting  about  the  leaves  and  twigs  at  the  ends  of  branches 
in  the  shrubbery  and  evergreens,  for  the  tiny  insects  that  the 
warblers  must  devour  by  the  million  during  their  all  too  brief  visit. 


185 


BIRDS  CONSPICUOUSLY  YELLOW 
AND  ORANGE 

Yellow-throated  Vireo 

American  Goldfinch 

Evening  Grosbeak 

Blue-winged  Warbler 

Canadian  Warbler 

Hooded  Warbler 

Kentucky  Warbler 

Magnolia  Warbler 

Mourning  Warbler 

Nashville  Warbler 

Pine  Warbler 

Prairie  Warbler 

Wilson's  Warbler  or  Blackcap 

Yellow  Warbler  or  Summer  Yellowbird 

Yellow  Redpoll  Warbler 

Yellow-breasted  Chat 

Maryland  Yellowthroat 

Blackburnian  Warbler 

Redstart 

Baltimore  Oriole 


Look  also  among  the  Yellowish  Olive  Birds  in  the  preceding  group;  and  among 
the  Brown  Birds  for  the  Meadowlark  and  Ricker.  See  also  Parula  Warbler  (Slate)  and 
Yellow-bellied  Woodpecker  (Black  and  White). 


BIRDS  CONSPICUOUSLY  YELLOW  AND 
ORANGE 

Yellow-throated  Vireo 

(Vireoflavifrons)  Vireo  or  Greenlet  family 

Length — 5.5  to  6  inches.  A  little  smaller  than  the  English  spar- 
row. 

Male  and  Female — Lemon-yellow  on  throat,  upper  breast ;  line 
around  the  eye  and  forehead.  Yellow,  shading  into  olive- 
green,  on  head,  back,  and  shoulders.  Underneath  white. 
Tail  dark  brownish,  edged  with  white.  Wings  a  lighter 
shade,  with  two  white  bands  across,  and  some  quills  edged 
with  white. 

Ra7ige—Wox\\\  America,  from  Newfoundland  to  Gulf  of  Mexico, 
and  westward  to  the  Rockies.     Winters  in  the  tropics. 

Migrations — May.  September.  Spring  and  autumn  migrant  ; 
more  rarely  resident. 

This  is  undoubtedly  the  beauty  of  the  vireo  family — a  group 
of  neat,  active,  stoutly  built,  and  vigorous  little  birds  of  yellow, 
greenish,  and  white  plumage;  birds  that  love  the  trees,  and 
whose  feathers  reflect  th^e  coloring  of  the  leaves  they  hide,  hunt, 
and  nest  among.  "We  have  no  birds,"  says  Bradford  Torrey, 
"so  unsparing  of  their  music:  they  sing  from  morning  till  night." 

The  yellow-throated  vireo  partakes  of  all  the  family  charac- 
teristics, but,  in  addition  to  these,  it  eclipses  all  its  relatives  in  the 
brilliancy  of  its  coloring  and  in  the  art  of  nest-building,  which  it 
has  brought  to  a  state  of  hopeless  perfection.  No  envious  bird 
need  try  to  excel  the  exquisite  finish  of  its  workmanship.  Hap- 
pily, it  has  wit  enough  to  build  its  pensile  nest  high  above  the 
reach  of  small  boys,  usually  suspending  it  from  a  branch  over- 
hanging running  water  that  threatens  too  precipitous  a  bath  to 
tempt  the  young  climbers. 

However  common  in  the  city  parks  and  suburban  gardens 
this  bird  may  be  during  the  migrations,  it  delights  in  a  secluded 

189 


Conspicuously  Yellow  and  Orange 

retreat  overgrown  with  tall  trees  and  near  a  stream,  such  as  is 
dear  to  the  solitary  vireo  as  well  when  the  nesting  time  ap- 
proaches. High  up  in  the  trees  we  hear  its  rather  sad,  persistent 
strain,  that  is  more  in  harmony  with  the  dim  forest  than  with  the 
gay  flower  garden,  where,  if  the  truth  must  be  told,  its  song  is 
both  monotonous  and  depressing.  Mr.  Bicknell  says  it  is  the 
only  vireo  that  sings  as  it  flies. 

American  Goldfinch 

(Spinus  tristis)  Finch  family 

Called  also:    WILD    CANARY  ;    YELLOWBIRD ;    THISTLE 

BIRD 

Length — 5  to  5.2  inches.  About  an  inch  smaller  than  the  English 
sparrow. 

Male — In  summer  plumage :  Bright  yellow,  except  on  crown  of 
head,  frontlet,  wings,  and  tail,  which  are  black.  Whitish 
markings  on  wings  give  effect  of  bands.  Tail  with  white  on 
inner  webs.  In  winter  plumage :  Head  yellow-olive  ;  no 
frontlet ;  back  drab,  with  reddish  tinge  ;  shoulders  and  throat 
yellow  ;  soiled  brownish  white  underneath. 

Female — Brownish  olive  above,  yellowish  white  beneath, 

Jiange — North  America,  from  the  tropics  to  the  Fur  Countries  and 
westward  to  the  Columbia  River  and  California.  Common 
throughout  its  range. 

Migrations — May.  October.  Common  summer  resident,  fre- 
quently seen  throughout  the  winter  as  well. 

An  old  field,  overgrown  with  thistles  and  tall,  stalky  wild 
flowers,  is  the  paradise  of  the  goldfinches,  summer  or  winter. 
Here  they  congregate  in  happy  companies  while  the  sunshine 
and  goldenrod  are  as  bright  as  their  feathers,  and  cling  to  the 
swaying,  slender  stems  that  furnish  an  abundant  harvest,  daintily 
lunching  upon  the  fluffy  seeds  of  thistle  blossoms,  pecking  at  the 
mullein-stalks,  and  swinging  airily  among  the  asters  and  Michael- 
mas daisies  ;  or,  when  snow  covers  the  same  field  with  a  glis- 
tening crust,  above  which  the  brown  stalks  offer  only  a  meagre 
dinner,  the  same  birds,  now  sombrely  clad  in  winter  feathers, 
cling  to  the  swaying  stems  with  cheerful  fortitude. 

At  your  approach,  the  busy  company  rises  on  the  wing,  and 
with  peculiar,  wavy  flight  rise  and  fall  through  the  air,  marking 

190 


AMERICAN   GOLDFINCH 


Conspicuously  Yellow  and  Orange 

each  undulation  with  a  cluster  of  notes,  sweet  and  clear,  that 
come  floating  downward  from  the  blue  ether,  where  the  birds 
seem  to  bound  along  exultant  in  their  motion  and  song  alike. 

In  the  spring  the  plumage  of  the  goldfinch,  which  has  been 
drab  and  brown  through  the  winter  months,  is  moulted  or  shed— 
a  change  that  transforms  the  bird  from  a  sombre  Puritan  into  the 
gayest  of  cavaliers,  and  seems  to  wonderfully  exalt  his  spirits. 
He  bursts  into  a  wild,  sweet,  incoherent  melody  that  might  be 
the  outpouring  from  two  or  three  throats  at  once  instead  of  one, 
expressing  his  rapture  somewhat  after  the  manner  of  the  canary, 
although  his  song  lacks  the  variety  and  the  finish  of  his  caged 
namesake.  What  tone  of  sadness  in  his  music  the  man  found 
who  applied  the  adjective  tristis  to  his  scientific  name  it  is  diffi- 
cult to  imagine  when  listening  to  the  notes  that  come  bubbling 
up  from  the  bird's  happy  heart. 

With  plumage  so  lovely  and  song  so  delicious  and  dreamy, 
it  is  small  wonder  that  numbers  of  our  goldfinches  are  caught  and 
caged,  however  inferior  their  song  may  be  to  the  European  species 
recently  introduced  into  this  country.  Heard  in  Central  Park, 
New  York,  where  they  were  set  at  liberty,  the  European  gold- 
finches seemed  to  sing  with  more  abandon,  perhaps,  but  with  no 
more  sweetness  than  their  American  cousins.  The  song  remains 
at  its  best  all  through  the  summer  months,  for  the  bird  is  a  long 
wooer.  It  is  nearly  July  before  he  mates,  and  not  until  the  tardy 
cedar  birds  are  house-building  in  the  orchard  do  the  happy  pair 
begin  to  carry  grass,  moss,  and  plant-down  to  a  crotch  of  some 
tall  tree  convenient  to  a  field  of  such  wild  flowers  as  will  furnish 
food  to  a  growing  family.  Doubtless  the  birds  wait  for  this  food 
to  be  in  proper  condition  before  they  undertake  parental  duties  at 
all— the  most  plausible  excuse  for  their  late  nesting.  The  cares 
evolving  from  four  to  six  pale-blue  eggs  will  suffice  to  quiet  the 
father's  song  for  the  winter  by  the  first  of  September,  and  fade  all 
the  glory  out  of  his  shining  coat.  As  pretty  a  sight  as  any  garden 
offers  is  when  a  family  of  goldfinches  alights  on  the  top  of  a  sun- 
flower to  feast  upon  the  oily  seeds— a  perfect  harmony  of  brown 
and  gold. 


191 


Conspicuously  Yellow  and  Orange 

Evening  Grosbeak 

(Coccothraustes  vespertinus)  Finch  family 

Lefigth — 8  inches.     Two  inches  shorter  than  the  robin. 

Male — Forehead,  shoulders,  and  underneath  clear  yellow;  dull 
yellow  on  lower  back;  sides  of  the  head,  throat,  and  breast 
olive-brown.  Crown,  tail,  and  wings  black,  the  latter  with 
white  secondary  feathers.     Bill  heavy  and  blunt,  and  yellow. 

Female — Brownish  gray,  more  or  less  suffused  with  yellow. 
Wings  and  tail  blackish,  with  some  white  feathers. 

Range — Interior  of  North  America.  Resident  from  Manitoba 
northward.  Common  winter  visitor  in  northwestern  United 
States  and  Mississippi  Valley;  casual  winter  visitor  in  north- 
ern Atlantic  States. 

In  the  winter  of  1889-90  Eastern  people  had  the  rare  treat  of 
becoming  acquainted  with  this  common  bird  of  the  Northwest, 
that,  in  one  of  its  erratic  travels,  chose  to  visit  New  England  and 
the  Atlantic  States,  as  far  south  as  Delaware,  in  great  numbers. 
Those  who  saw  the  evening  grosbeaks  then  remember  how 
beautiful  their  y.ellow  plumage — a  rare  winter  tint — looked  in  the 
snow-covered  trees,  where  small  companies  of  the  gentle  and  even 
tame  visitors  enjoyed  the  buds  and  seeds  of  the  maples,  elders, 
and  evergreens.  Possibly  evening  grosbeaks  were  in  vogue  for 
the  next  season's  millinery,  or  perhaps  Eastern  ornithologists 
had  a  sudden  zeal  to  investigate  their  structural  anatomy.  At 
any  rate,  these  birds,  whose  very  tameness,  that  showed  slight 
acquaintance  with  mankind,  should  have  touched  the  coldest 
heart,  received  the  warmest  kind  of  a  reception  from  hot  shot. 
The  few  birds  that  escaped  to  the  solitudes  of  Manitoba  could  not 
be  expected  to  tempt  other  travellers  eastward  by  an  account  of 
their  visit.    The  bird  is  quite  likely  to  remain  rare  in  the  East. 

But  in  the  Mississippi  Valley  and  throughout  the  northwest, 
companies  of  from  six  to  sixty  may  be  regularly  counted  upon  as 
winter  neighbors  on  almost  every  farm.  Here  the  females  keep 
up  a  busy  chatting,  hke  a  company  of  cedar  birds,  and  the  males 
punctuate  their  pauses  with  a  single  shrill  note  that  gives  little 
indication  of  their  vocal  powers.  But  in  the  solitude  of  the  north- 
ern forests  the  love-song  is  said  to  resemble  the  robin's  at  the 
start.  Unhappily,  after  a  most  promising  beginning,  the  bird 
suddenly  stops,  as  if  he  were  out  of  breath. 

192 


Conspicuously  Yellow  and  Orange 

Blue-winged  Warbler 

( Helminthophila  pinus)  Wood  Warbler  family 

Called  also  : 'Q\JJE-\N\HGhD  YELLOW  WARBLER 

Length — 4.75  inches.  An  inch  and  a  half  shorter  than  the  Eng- 
lish sparrow. 

Male — Crown  of  head  and  all  under  parts  bright  yellow.  Back 
olive-green.  Wings  and  tail  bluish  slate,  the  former  with 
white  bars,  and  three  outer  tail  quills  with  large  white 
patches  on  their  inner  webs. 

Female — Paler  and  more  olive. 

Range — Eastern  United  States,  from  southern  New  England  and 
Minnesota,  the  northern  limit  of  its  nesting  range,  to  Mexico 
and  Central  America,  where  it  winters. 

Migrations — May.     September.     Summer  resident. 

In  the  naming  of  warblers,  bluish  slate  is  the  shade  intended 
when  blue  is  mentioned ;  so  that  if  you  see  a  dainty  little  olive 
and  yellow  bird  with  slate-colored  wings  and  tail  hunting  for 
spiders  in  the  blossoming  orchard  or  during  the  early  autumn, 
you  will  have  seen  the  beautiful  blue-winged  warbler.  It  has  a 
rather  leisurely  way  of  hunting,  unlike  the  nervous,  restless  flit- 
ting about  from  twig  to  twig  that  is  characteristic  of  many  of  its 
many  cousins.  The  search  is  thorough— bark,  stems,  blossoms, 
leaves  are  inspected  for  larvse  and  spiders,  with  many  pretty 
motions  of  head  and  body.  Sometimes,  hanging  with  head 
downward,  the  bird  suggests  a  yellow  titmouse.  After  blossom 
time  a  pair  of  these  warblers,  that  have  done  serviceable  work  in 
the  orchard  in  their  all  too  brief  stay,  hurry  off  to  dense  woods 
to  nest.  They  are  usually  to  be  seen  in  pairs  at  all  seasons.  Not 
to  "high  coniferous  trees  in  northern  forests" — the  Mecca  of 
innumerable  warblers — but  to  scrubby,  second  growth  of  wood- 
land borders,  or  lower  trees  in  the  heart  of  the  woods,  do  these 
dainty  birds  retreat.  There  they  build  the  usual  warbler  nest  of 
twigs,  bits  of  bark,  leaves,  and  grasses,  but  with  this  peculiarity : 
the  numerous  leaves  with  which  the  nest  is  wrapped  all  have 
their  stems  pointing  upward.  Mr.  Frank  Chapman  has  admirably 
defined  their  song  as  consisting  of  "  two  drawled,  wheezy  notes 
— swee-chee,  the  first  inhaled,  the  second  exhaled." 

193 


Conspicuously  Yellow  and  Orange 

Canadian  Warbler 

(Sylvania  canadensis)  Wood  Warbler  family 

Called  also :  CM^AmA'H    FLYCATCHER;    SPOTTED   CANA- 
DIAN  WARBLER 

Length — 5  to  5.6  inches.  About  an  inch  shorter  than  the  English 
sparrow. 

Male — Immaculate  bluish  ash  above,  without  marks  on  wings  or 
tail;  crown  spotted  with  arrow-shaped  black  marks.  Cheeks, 
hne  from  bill  to  eye,  and  underneath  clear  yellow.  Black 
streaks  forming  a  necklace  across  the  breast. 

Female — Paler,  with  necklace  indistinct. 

Jiange — North  America,  from  Manitoba  and  Labrador  to  tropics. 

Migrations — May.  September.  Summer  resident  ;  most  abun- 
dant in  migrations. 

Since  about  one-third  of  all  the  song-birds  met  with  in  a 
year's  rambles  are  apt  to  be  warblers,  the  novice  cannot  devote 
his  first  attention  to  a  better  group,  confusing  though  it  is  by 
reason  of  its  size  and  the  repetition  of  the  same  colors  in  so  many 
bewildering  combinations.  Monotony,  however,  is  unknown  in 
the  warbler  family.  Whoever  can  rightly  name  every  warbler, 
male  and  female,  on  sight  is  uniquely  accomplished. 

The  jet  necklace  worn  on  this  bird's  breast  is  its  best  mark 
of  identification.  Its  form  is  particularly  slender  and  graceful,  as 
might  be  expected  in  a  bird  so  active,  one  to  whom  a  hundred 
tiny  insects  barely  afford  a  dinner  that  must  often  be  caught  piece- 
meal as  it  flies  past.  To  satisfy  its  appetite,  which  cannot  but  be 
dainty  in  so  thoroughly  charming  a  bird,  it  lives  in  low,  boggy 
woods,  in  such  retreats  as  Wilson's  black-capped  warbler  selects 
for  a  like  reason.  Neither  of  these  two  "flycatcher"  warblers 
depends  altogether  on  catching  insects  on  the  wing;  countless 
thousands  are  picked  off  the  under  sides  of  leaves  and  about  the 
stems  of  twigs  in  true  warbler  fashion. 

The  Canadian's  song  is  particularly  loud,  sweet,'and  viva- 
cious. It  is  hazardous  for  any  one  without  long  field  practice  to 
try  to  name  any  warbler  by  its  song  alone,  but  possibly  this  one's 
animated  music  is  as  characteristic  as  any. 

The  nest  is  built  on  the  ground  on  a  mossy  bank  or  elevated 

194 


Conspicuously  Yellow  and  Orange 

into  the  root  crannies  of  some  large  tree,  wiiere  there  is  much 
water  in  the  woods.  Bits  of  bark,  dead  wood,  moss,  and  fine 
rootlets,  all  carefully  wrapped  with  leaves,  go  to  make  the  pretty 
cradle.  Unhappily,  the  little  Canada  warblers  are  often  cheated 
out  of  their  natural  rights,  like  so  many  other  delightful  song- 
birds, by  the  greedy  interloper  that  the  cowbird  deposits  in  their 
nest. 

Hooded  Warbler 

(Sylvania  mitrata)  Wood  Warbler  family 

Length—^  to  5.75  inches.  About  an  inch  shorter  than  the  Eng- 
lish sparrow. 

Male — Head,  neck,  chin,  and  throat  black  like  a  hood  in  mature 
male  specimens  only.  Hood  restricted,  or  altogether  want- 
ing in  female  and  young.  Upper  parts  rich  olive.  Forehead, 
cheeks,  and  underneath  yellow.  Some  conspicuous  white 
on  tail  feathers. 

Female — Duller,  and  with  restricted  cowl. 

Range — United  States  east  of  Rockies,  and  from  southern  Michi- 
gan and  southern  New  England  to  West  Indies  and  tropical 
America,  where  it  winters.     Very  local. 

Migrations — May.     September.     Summer  resident. 

This  beautifully  marked,  sprightly  little  warbler  might  be 
mistaken  in  his  immaturity  for  the  yellowthroat  ;  and  as  it  is 
said  to  take  him  nearly  three  years  to  grow  his  hood,  with  the 
completed  cowl  and  cape,  there  is  surely  sufficient  reason  here 
for  the  despair  that  often  seizes  the  novice  in  attempting  to  distin- 
guish the  perplexing  warblers.  Like  its  Southern  counterpart, 
the  hooded  warbler  prefers  wet  woods  and  low  trees  rather  than 
high  ones,  for  much  of  its  food  consists  of  insects  attracted  by  the 
dampness,  and  many  of  them  must  be  taken  on  the  wing.  Be- 
cause of  its  tireless  activity  the  bird's  figure  is  particularly  slender 
and  graceful — a  trait,  too,  to  which  we  owe  all  the  glimpses  of  it 
we  are  likely  to  get  throughout  the  summer.  It  has  a  curious 
habit  of  spreading  its  tail,  as  if  it  wished  you  to  take  special 
notice  of  the  white  spots  that  adorn  it;  not  flirting  it,  as  the  red- 
start does  his  more  gorgeous  one,  but  simply  opening  it  like  a  fan 
as  it  flies  and  darts  about. 

Its  song,  which  is  particularly  sweet  and  graceful,  and  with 

19s 


Conspicuously  Yellow  and  Orange 

more  variation  than  most  warblers'  music,  has  been  translated 
" Che-ijce-eo-tsip ,  tsip ,  cbe-ive-eo,"  again  interpreted  by  Mr.  Chap- 
man as  "You  must  come  to  the  woods,  or  you  won't  see  me." 


Kentucky  Warbler 

(Geothlypis  formosa)  Wood  Warbler  family 

Length — 5.5  inches.     Nearly  an  inch  shorter  than   the   English 

sparrow. 
Afale — Upper  parts  olive-green;   under  parts   yellow;  a   yellow 

line  from  the  bill  passes  over  and  around  the  eye.     Crown 

of  head,  patch  below  the  eye,  and  line  defining  throat,  black. 
Female — Similar,   but  paler,   and  with  grayish   instead  of  black 

markings. 
jRange — United  States  eastward  from  the  Rockies,  and  from  Iowa 

and  Connecticut  to  Central  America,  where  it  winters. 
Migrations — May.     September.     Summer  resident. 

No  bird  is  common  at  the  extreme  limits  of  its  range,  and  so 
this  warbler  has  a  reputation  for  rarity  among  the  New  England 
ornithologists  that  would  surprise  people  in  the  middle  South  and 
Southwest.  After  all  that  may  be  said  in  the  books,  a  bird  is 
either  common  or  rare  to  the  individual  who  may  or  may  not 
have  happened  to  become  acquainted  with  it  in  any  part  of  its 
chosen  territory.  Plenty  of  people  in  Kentucky,  where  we  might 
judge  from  its  name  this  bird  is  supposed  to  be  most  numerous, 
have  never  seen  or  heard  of  it,  while  a  student  on  the  Hudson 
River,  within  sight  of  New  York,  knows  it  intimately.  It  also 
nests  regularly  in  certain  parts  of  the  Connecticut  Valley.  "  Who 
is  my  neighbor.?"  is  often  a  question  difficult  indeed  to  answer 
where  birds  are  concerned.  In  the  chapter,  "Spring  at  the  Cap- 
ital," which,  with  every  reading  of  "Wake  Robin,"  inspires  the 
bird-lover  with  fresh  zeal,  Mr.  Burroughs  writes  of  the  Kentucky 
warbler:  "  1  meet  with  him  in  low,  damp  places,  in  the  woods, 
usually  on  the  steep  sides  of  some  little  run.  I  hear  at  intervals 
a  clear,  strong,  bell-like  whistle  or  warble,  and  presently  catch  a 
glimpse  of  the  bird  as  he  jumps  up  from  the  ground  to  take  an 
insect  or  worm  from  the  under  side  of  a  leaf  This  is  his  charac- 
teristic movement.  He  belongs  to  the  class  of  ground  warblers, 
and  his  range  is  very  low,  indeed  lower  than  that  of  any  other 
species  with  which  I  am  acquainted." 

196 


Conspicuously  Yellow  and  Orange 

Like  the  ovenbird  and  comparatively  few  others,  for  most 
birds  hop  over  the  ground,  the  Kentucky  warbler  walks  rapidly 
about,  looking  for  insects  under  the  follen  leaves,  and  poking  his 
inquisitive  beak  into  every  cranny  where  a  spider  may  be  lurk- 
ing. The  bird  has  a  pretty,  conscious  way  of  flying  up  to  a 
perch,  a  few  feet  above  the  ground,  as  a  tenor  might  advance 
towards  the  footlights  of  a  stage,  to  pour  forth  his  clear,  pene- 
trating whistle,  that  in  the  nesting  season  especially  is  repeated 
over  and  over  again  with  tireless  persistency. 

Magnolia  Warbler 

(Dendroica  maculosa)  Wood  Warbler  family 


Called  also:   BLACK-AND-YELLOW   WARBLER;    SPOTTED 
WAR 
BLER 


WARBLER  ;  BLUE-HEADED  YELLOW-RUMPED  WAR- 


Length — 4.7  s  to  5  inches.  About  an  inch  and  a  half  smaller  than 
the  English  sparrow. 

Male—Cxov^n  of  head  slate-color,  bordered  on  either  side  by  a 
white  line  ;  a  black  line,  apparently  running  through  the  eye, 
and  a  yellow  line  below  it,  merging  into  the  yellow  throat. 
Lower  back  and  under  parts  yellow.  Back,  wings,  and  tail 
blackish  olive.  Large  white  patch  on  the  wings,  and  the 
middle  of  the  tail-quills  white.  Throat  and  sides  heavily 
streaked  with  black. 

Female— Vi^iS  greener  back,  is  paler,  and  has  less  distinct  markings. 

Range— Wox\\\  America,  from  Hudson  Bay  to  Panama.  Summers 
from  northern  Michigan  and  northern  New  England  north- 
ward ;  winters  in  Central  America  and  Cuba. 

Migrations — May.     October.     Spring  and  summer  migrant. 

In  spite  of  the  bird's  name,  one  need  not  look  for  it  in  the 
glossy  magnolia  trees  of  the  southern  gardens  more  than  in 
the  shrubbery  on  New  England  lawns,  and  during  the  migra- 
tions it  is  quite  as  likely  to  be  found  in  one  place  as  in  the  other. 
Its  true  preference,  however,  is  for  the  spruces  and  hemlocks  of 
its  nesting  ground  in  the  northern  forests.  For  these  it  deserts  us 
after  a  brief  hunt  about  the  tender,  young  spring  foliage  and  blos- 
soms, where  the  early  worm  lies  concealed,  and  before  we  have 
become  so  well  acquainted  with  its  handsome  clothes  that  we 
will  instantly  recognize  it  in  the  duller  ones  it  wears  on  its  return 

197 


Conspicuously  Yellow  and  Orange 

trip  in  the  autumn.  The  position  of  the  white  marks  on  the  tail 
feathers  of  this  warbler,  however,  is  the  clue  by  which  it  may  be 
identified  at  any  season  or  any  stage  of  its  growth.  If  the  white 
bar  runs  across  the  middle  of  the  warbler's  tail,  you  can  be  sure 
of  the  identity  of  the  bird.  A  nervous  and  restless  hunter,  it 
nevertheless  seems  less  shy  than  many  of  its  kin.  Another  pleas- 
ing characteristic  is  that  it  brings  back  with  it  in  October  the  loud, 
clear,  rapid  whistle  with  which  it  has  entertained  its  nesting  mate 
in  the  Canada  woods  through  the  summer. 


Mourning  Warbler 

(Geothlypis  Philadelphia)  Wood  Warbler  family 

Called  also  :  MOURNING  GROUND  WARBLER 

Length — 5  to  5.6  inches.  About  an  inch  smaller  than  the  English 
sparrow. 

Male — Gray  head  and  throat;  the  breast  gray;  the  feathers  with 
black  edges  that  make  them  look  crinkled,  like  crape.  The 
black  markings  converge  into  a  spot  on  upper  breast.  Upper 
parts,  except  head,  olive.     Underneath  rich  yellow. 

Female — Similar,  but  duller;  throat  and  breast  buff  and  dusky 
where  the  male  is  black.     Back  olive-green. 

Eattge — "Eastern  North  America;  breeds  from  eastern  Nebraska, 
northern  New  York,  and  Nova  Scotia  northward,  and  south- 
ward along  the  Alleghanies  to  Pennsylvania.  Winters  in 
the  tropics." — Chapman. 

Migratiojis — May.     September.     Spring  and  autumn  migrant. 

Since  Audubon  met  with  but  one  of  these  birds  in  his  inces- 
sant trampings,  and  Wilson  secured  only  an  immature,  imper- 
fectly marked  specimen  for  his  collection,  the  novice  may  feel  no 
disappointment  if  he  fails  to  make  the  acquaintance  of  this  "gay 
and  agreeable  widow."  And  yet  the  shy  and  wary  bird  is  not 
unknown  in  Central  Park,  New  York  City.  Even  where  its 
clear,  whistled  song  strikes  the  ear  with  a  startling  novelty  that 
invites  to  instant  pursuit  of  the  singer,  you  may  look  long  and 
diligently  through  the  undergrowth  without  finding  it.  Dr. 
Merriam  says  the  whistle  resembles  the  syllables  "  true,  true, 
true,  tru,  too,  the  voice  rising  on  the  first  three  syllables  and 
falling  on  the  last  two."    In  the  nesting  season  this  song  is 

198 


Conspicuously  Yellow  and  Orange 

repeated  over  and  over  again  with  a  persistency  worthy  of  a 
Kentucky  warbler.  It  is  dehvered  from  a  perch  within  a  few  feet 
of  the  ground,  as  high  as  the  bird  seems  ever  inclined  to  ascend. 


Nashville  Warbler 

( Helminthophila  ruficapilla)  Wood  Warbler  family 

Length— 4.']^  to  5  inches.     About  an  inch  and  a  half  smaller  than 

the  English  sparrow. 
Male — Olive-green  above;  yellow  underneath.     Slate-gray  head 

and  neck.      Partially  concealed  chestnut  patch  on  crown. 

Wings  and  tail  olive-brown  and  without  markings. 
Female — Dull  olive  and  paler,  with  brownish  wash  underneath. 
Range — North  America,  westward  to  the  plains;  north  to  the  Fur 

Countries,  and  south  to  Central  America  and  Mexico.    Nests 

north   of  Illinois  and   northern  New  England  ;   winters  in 

tropics. 
Migrations — April.     September  or  October. 

It  must  not  be  thought  that  this  beautiful  warbler  confines 
itself  to  backyards  in  the  city  of  Nashville  simply  because  Wil- 
son discovered  it  near  there  and  gave  it  a  local  name,  for  the 
bird's  actual  range  reaches  from  the  fur  trader's  camp  near  Hud- 
son Bay  to  the  adobe  villages  of  Mexico  and  Central  America, 
and  over  two  thousand  miles  east  and  west  in  the  United  States. 
It  chooses  open  rather  than  dense  woods  and  tree-bordered  fields. 
It  seems  to  have  a  liking  for  hemlocks  and  pine  trees,  especially 
if  near  a  stream  that  attracts  insects  to  its  shores  ;  and  Dr.  War- 
ren notes  that  in  Pennsylvania  he  finds  small  flocks  of  these  war- 
blers in  the  autumn  migration,  feeding  in  the  willow  trees  near 
little  rivers  and  ponds.  Only  in  the  northern  parts  of  the  United 
States  is  their  nest  ever  found,  for  the  northern  British  provinces 
are  their  preferred  nesting  ground.  One  seen  in  the  White 
Mountains  was  built  on  a  mossy,  rocky  ledge,  directly  on  the 
ground  at  the  foot  of  a  pine  tree,  and  made  of  rootlets,  moss, 
needles  from  the  trees  overhead,  and  several  layers  of  leaves  out- 
side, with  a  lining  of  fine  grasses  that  cradled  four  white,  speckled 
eggs. 

Audubon  likened  the  bird's  feeble  note  to  the  breaking  of 
twigs. 

199 


Conspicuously  Yellow  and  Orange 


Pine  Warbler 

(Dendroica  vigorsii)  Wood  Warbler  family 

Called  also:  PINE-CREEPING  WARBLER 

Length — 5.5  to  6  inches.  A  trifle  smaller  than  the  English  spar- 
row. 

Male — Yellowish  olive  above;  clear  yellow  below,  shading  to 
grayish  white,  with  obscure  dark  streaks  on  side  of  breast. 
Two  whitish  wing-bars ;  two  outer  tail  feathers  partly  white. 

Female — Duller  ;  grayish  white  only  faintly  tinged  with  yellow 
underneath. 

Range — North  America,  east  of  the  Rockies;  north  to  Manitoba, 
and  south  to  Florida  and  the  Bahamas.  Winters  from  south- 
ern Illinois  southward. 

Migrations — March  or  April.  October  or  later.  Common  sum- 
mer resident. 

The  pine  warbler  closely  presses  the  myrtle  warbler  for  the 
first  place  in  the  ranks  of  the  family  migrants,  but  as  the  latter 
bird  often  stays  north  all  winter,  it  is  usually  given  the  palm. 
Here  is  a  warbler,  let  it  be  recorded,  that  is  fittingly  named,  for 
it  is  a  denizen  of  pine  woods  only;  most  common  in  the  long 
stretches  of  pine  forests  at  the  south  and  in  New  York  and  New 
England,  and  correspondingly  uncommon  wherever  the  woods- 
man's axe  has  laid  the  pine  trees  low  throughout  its  range.  Its 
"simple,  sweet,  and  drowsy  song,"  writes  Mr.  Parkhurst,  is 
always  associated  "with  the  smell  of  pines  on  a  sultry  day."  It 
recalls  that  of  the  junco  and  the  social  sparrow  or  chippy. 

Creeping  over  the  bark  of  trees  and  peering  into  every  crevice 
like  a  nuthatch;  running  along  the  limbs,  not  often  hopping  ner- 
vously or  flitting  like  the  warblers;  darting  into  the  air  for  a  pass- 
ing insect,  or  descending  to  the  ground  to  feed  on  seeds  and 
berries,  the  pine  warbler  has,  by  a  curious  combination,  the 
movements  that  seem  to  characterize  several  different  birds. 

It  is  one  of  the  largest  and  hardiest  members  of  its  fiimily, 
but  not  remarkable  for  its  beauty.  It  is  a  sociable  traveller,  cheer- 
fully escorting  other  warblers  northward,  and  welcoming  to  its 
band  both  the  yellow  redpolls  and  the  myrtle  warblers.  These 
birds  are  very  often  seen  together  in  the  pine  and  other  evergreen 
trees  in  our  lawns  and  in  the  large  city  parks. 


Conspicuously  Yellow  and  Orange 


Prairie  Warbler 

(Dendroica  discolor)  Wood  Warbler  family 

Length— ^.q^  to  5  inches.  About  an  inch  and  a  half  shorter  than 
the  English  sparrow. 

j/a/^_01ive-green  above,  shading  to  yellowish  on  the  head,  and 
with  brick-red  spots  on  back  between  the  shoulders.  A 
yellow  line  over  the  eye;  wing-bars  and  all  under  parts 
bright  yellow,  heavily  streaked  with  black  on  the  sides. 
Line  through  the  eye  and  crescent  below  it,  black.  Much 
white  in  outer  tail  feathers. 

Female— ?^\tr\  upper  parts  more  grayish  olive,  and  markings  less 
distinct  than  male's. 

^^;2^^_E astern  half  of  the  United  States.  Nests  as  far  north  as 
New  England  and  Michigan.  Winters  from  Florida  south- 
ward. 

Migrations— }A2Ly.     September.     Summer  resident. 

Doubtless  this  diminutive  bird  was  given  its  name  because 
it  prefers  open  country  rather  than  the  woods— the  scrubby  under- 
growth of  oaks,  young  evergreens,  and  bushes  that  border  clear- 
ings being  as  good  a  place  as  any  to  look  for  it,  and  not  the 
wtnd-swept,  treeless  tracts  of  the  wild  West.  Its  range  is  south- 
erly. The  Southern  and  Middle  States  are  where  it  is  most 
abundant.  Here  is  a  wood  warbler  that  is  not  a  bird  of  the 
woods— less  so,  in  fact,  than  either  the  summer  yellowbird 
(yellow  warbler)  or  the  palm  warbler,  that  are  eminently  neigh- 
borly and  fond  of  pasture  lands  and  roadside  thickets.  But  the 
prairie  warblers  are  rather  more  retiring  little  sprites  than  their 
cousins,  and  it  is  not  often  we  get  a  close  enough  view  of  them 
to  note  the  brick-red  spots  on  their  backs,  which  are  their  distin- 
guishing marks.  They  have  a  most  unkind  preference  for  briery 
bushes,  that  discourage  human  intimacy.  In  such  forbidding 
retreats  they  build  their  nest  of  plant-fibre,  rootlets,  and  twigs, 
lined  with  plant-down  and  hair. 

The  song  of  an  individual  prairie  warbler  makes  only  a 
slight  impression.  It  consists  "  of  a  series  of  six  or  seven  quickly 
repeated  ^ees,  the  next  to  the  last  one  being  the  highest "  (Chap- 
man). But  the  united  voices  of  a  dozen  or  more  of  these  pretty 
little  birds,  that  often  sing  together,  afford  something  approach- 
ing a  musical  treat. 

201 


Conspicuously  Yellow  and  Orange 

Wilson's  Warbler 

(Sylvania  pusilla)  Wood  Warbler  family 

Called  also:   BLACKCAP;    GREEN    BLACK-CAPPED   WAR- 
BLER ;    WILSON'S  FLYCATCHER 

Length — 4.75  to  5  inches.  About  an  inch  and  a  half  shorter  than 
the  English  sparrow. 

Male — Black  cap  ;  yellow  forehead  ;  all  other  upper  parts  olive- 
green  ;  rich  yellow  underneath. 

Female — Lacks  the  black  cap. 

Range — North  America,  from  Alaska  and  Nova  Scotia  to  Panama. 
Winters  south  of  Gulf  States.  Nests  chiefly  north  of  the 
United  States. 

Migrations — May.     September.     Spring  and  autumn  migrant. 

To  see  this  strikingly  marked  little  bird  one  must  be  on  the 
sharp  lookout  for  it  during  the  latter  half  of  May,  or  at  the  season 
of  apple  bloom,  and  the  early  part  of  September.  It  passes  north- 
ward with  an  almost  scornful  rapidity.  Audubon  mentions  hav- 
ing seen  it  in  Maine  at  the  end  of  October,  but  this  specimen 
surely  must  have  been  an  exceptional  laggard. 

In  common  with  several  others  of  its  family,  it  is  exceedingly 
expert  in  catching  insects  on  the  wing  ;  but  it  may  be  known  as 
no  true  flycatcher  from  the  conspicuous  rich  yellow  of  its  under 
parts,  and  also  from  its  habit  of  returning  from  a  midair  sally  to  a 
different  perch  from  the  one  it  left  to  pursue  its  dinner.  A  true 
flycatcher  usually  returns  to  its  old  perch  after  each  hunt. 

To  indulge  in  this  aerial  chase  with  success,  these  warblers 
select  for  their  home  and  hunting  ground  some  low  woodland 
growth  where  a  sluggish  stream  attracts  myriads  of  insects  to 
the  boggy  neighborhood.  Here  they  build  their  nest  in  low 
bushes  or  upon  the  ground.  Four  or  five  grayish  eggs,  sprinkled 
with  cinnamon-colored  spots  in  a  circle  around  the  larger  end, 
are  laid  in  the  grassy  cradle  in  June.  Mr.  H.  D.  Minot  found  one 
of  these  nests  on  Pike's  Peak  at  an  altitude  of  11,000  feet,  almost 
at  the  limit  of  vegetation.  The  same  authority  compares  the 
bird's  song  to  that  of  the  redstart  and  the  yellow  warbler. 


202 


Conspicuously  Yellow  and  Orange 

Yellow  Redpoll  Warbler 

(Dendroica  palmarum  hypochrysea)  Wood  Warbler  family 

Called  also :  ^ELLOV^   PALM   WARBLER 

Length — 5.5  to  5.75  inches.  A  little  smaller  than  the  English 
sparrow. 

Male  and  Female — Chestnut  crown.  Upper  parts  brownish  olive; 
greenest  on  lower  back.  Underneath  uniform  bright  yellow, 
streaked  with  chestnut  on  throat,  breast,  and  sides.  Yellow 
line  over  and  around  the  eye.  Wings  unmarked.  Tail 
edged  with  olive-green ;  a  few  white  spots  near  tips  of  outer 
quills.  More  brownish  above  in  autumn,  and  with  a  grayish 
wash  over  the  yellow  under  parts. 

Range — Eastern  parts  of  North  America.  Nests  from  Nova  Scotia 
northward.     Winters  in  the  Gulf  States. 

Migrations — April.     October.     Spring  and  autumn  migrant. 

While  the  uniform  yellow  of  this  warbler's  under  parts  in 
any  plumage  is  its  distinguishing  mark,  it  also  has  a  flycatcher's 
trait  of  constantly  flirting  its  tail,  that  is  at  once  an  outlet  for  its 
superabundant  vivacity  and  a  foirly  reliable  aid  to  identification. 
The  tail  is  jerked,  wagged,  and  flirted  like  a  baton  in  the  handa 
of  an  inexperienced  leader  of  an  orchestra.  One  need  not  go  to 
the  woods  to  look  for  the  restless  little  sprite  that  comes  north- 
ward when  the  early  April  foliage  is  as  yellow  and  green  as  its 
feathers.  It  prefers  the  fields  and  roadsides,  and  before  there  are 
leaves  enough  on  the  undergrowth  to  conceal  it  we  may  come  to 
know  it  as  well  as  it  is  possible  to  know  any  bird  whose  home 
life  is  passed  so  far  away.  Usually  it  is  the  first  warbler  one  sees 
in  the  spring  in  New  York  and  New  England.  With  all  the 
alertness  of  a  flycatcher,  it  will  dart  into  the  air  after  insects  that 
fly  near  the  ground,  keeping  up  a  constant  chip,  chip,  fine  and 
shrill,  at  one  end  of  the  small  body,  and  the  liveliest  sort  of  tail 
motions  at  the  other.     The  pine  warbler  often  bears  it  company. 

With  the  first  suspicion  of  warm  weather,  off  goes  this  hardy 
little  fellow  that  apparently  loves  the  cold  almost  well  enough  to 
stay  north  all  the  year  like  its  cousin,  the  myrtle  warbler.  It 
builds  a  particularly  deep  nest,  of  the  usual  warbler  construction, 
on  the  ground,  but  its  eggs  are  rosy  rather  than  the  bluish  white 
of  others. 

In  the  Southern  States  the  bird  becomes  particularly  neigh- 

203 


Conspicuously  Yellow  and  Orange 

body,  and  is  said  to  enter  the  streets  and  gardens  of  towns  with 
a  chippy's  familiarity. 

Palm  Warbler  or  Redpoll  Warbler  (Dendroica  palmarum) 
differs  from  the  preceding  chiefly  in  its  slightly  smaller  size,  the 
more  grayish-brown  tint  in  its  olive  upper  parts,  and  the  uneven 
shade  of  yellow  underneath  that  varies  from  clear  yellow  to  soiled 
whitish.  It  is  the  Western  counterpart  of  the  yellow  redpoll,  and 
is  most  common  in  the  Mississippi  Valley.  Strangely  enough, 
however,  it  is  this  warbler,  and  not  hypochrysea,  that  goes  out  of 
its  way  to  winter  in  Florida,  where  it  is  abundant  all  winter. 


Yellow  Warbler 

(Dendroica  (Estiva)  Wood  Warbler  family 

Called  also:  SUMMER  YELLOWBIRD  ;  GOLDEN  WARBLER; 
YELLOW  POLL 

Length — 4.75  to  5.2  inches.  Over  an  inch  shorter  than  the  Eng- 
lish sparrow. 

Male — Upper  parts  olive-yellow,  brightest  on  the  crown ;  under 
parts  bright  yellow,  streaked  with  reddish  brown.  Wings 
and  tail  dusky  olive-brown,  edged  with  yellow. 

Female — Similar;  but  reddish-brown  streakings  less  distinct. 

Range — North  America,  except  Southwestern  States,  where  the 
prothonotary  warbler  reigns  in  its  stead.  Nests  from  Gulf 
States  to  Fur  Countries.  Winters  south  of  the  Gulf  States, 
as  far  as  northern  parts  of  South  America. 

Migrations — May.     September.     Common  summer  resident. 

This  exquisite  little  creature  of  perpetual  summer  (though  to 
find  it  it  must  travel  back  and  forth  between  two  continents) 
comes  out  of  the  south  with  the  golden  days  of  spring.  From 
much  living  in  the  sunshine  through  countless  generations,  its 
feathers  have  finally  become  the  color  of  sunshine  itself,  and  in 
disposition,  as  well,  it  is  nothing  if  not  sunny  and  bright.  Not 
the  least  of  its  attractions  is  that  it  is  exceedingly  common  every- 
where: in  the  shrubbery  of  our  lawns,  in  gardens  and  orchards, 
by  the  road  and  brookside,  in  the  edges  of  woods — everywhere 
we  catch  its  glint  of  brightness  through  the  long  summer  days, 
and  hear  its  simple,  sweet,  and  happy  song  until  the  end  of  July. 

204 


YELLOW    WARBLER 


Conspicuously  Yellow  and  Orange 

Because  both  birds  are  so  conspicuously  yellow,  no  doubt  this 
warbler  is  quite  generally  confused  with  the  goldfinch;  but  their 
distinctions  are  clear  enough  to  any  but  the  most  superficial  glance. 
In  the  first  place,  the  yellow  warbler  is  a  smaller  bird  than  the 
goldfinch;  it  has  neither  black  crown,  wings,  nor  tail,  and  it 
does  have  reddish-brown  streaks  on  its  breast  that  are  sufficiently 
obsolete  to  make  the  coloring  of  that  part  look  simply  dull  at  a 
little  distance.  The  goldfinch's  bill  is  heavy,  in  order  that  it  may 
crack  seeds,  whereas  the  yellow  warbler's  is  slender,  to  enable  it 
to  pick  minute  insects  from  the  foliage.  The  goldfinch's  wavy, 
curved  flight  is  unique,  and  that  of  his  "double"  differs  not  a 
whit  from  that  of  all  nervous,  flitting  warblers.  Surely  no  one 
familiar  with  the  rich,  full,  canary-like  song  of  the  "wild  canary," 
as  the  goldfinch  is  called,  could  confuse  it  with  the  mild  ''Wee- 
chee,  chee,  cher-wee  "  of  the  summer  yellowbird.  Another  distinc- 
tion, not  always  infallible,  but  nearly  so,  is  that  when  seen  feed- 
ing, the  goldfinch  is  generally  below  the  line  of  vision,  while  the 
yellow  warbler  is  either  on  it  or  not  far  above  it,  as  it  rarely  goes 
over  twelve  feet  from  the  ground. 

No  doubt,  the  particularly  mild,  sweet  amiability  of  the 
yellow  warbler  is  responsible  for  the  persistent  visitations  of  the 
cowbird,  from  which  it  is  a  conspicuous  sufferer.  In  the  exqui- 
site, neat  little  matted  cradle  of  glistening  milk-weed  flax,  lined 
with  down  from  the  fronds  of  fern,  the  skulking  housebreaker 
deposits  her  surreptitious  egg  for  the  little  yellow  mother-bird  to 
hatch  and  tend.  But  amiability  is  not  the  only  prominent  trait 
in  the  female  yellow  warbler's  character.  She  is  clever  as  well, 
and  quickly  builds  a  new  bottom  on  her  nest,  thus  sealing  up  the 
cowbird's  tgg,  and  depositing  her  own  on  the  soft,  spongy  floor 
above  it.  This  operation  has  been  known  to  be  twice  repeated, 
until  the  nest  became  three  stories  high,  when  a  persistent  cow- 
bird  made  such  unusual  architecture  necessary. 

The  most  common  nesting  place  of  the  yellow  warbler  is  in 
low  willows  along  the  shores  of  streams. 


20S 


Conspicuously  Yellow  and  Orange 

Yellow-breasted  Chat 

(Icieria  virens)  Wood  Warbler  family 

Called  also:  POLYGLOT  CHAT;   YELLOW  MOCKING-BIRD 

Length — 7.5  inches.  A  trifle  over  an  inch  longer  than  the  Eng- 
lish sparrow. 

Male  and  Fetnale—Umiorm  olive-green  above.  Throat,  breast, 
and  under  side  of  wings  bright,  clear  yellow.  Underneath 
white.  Sides  grayish.  White  line  over  the  eye,  reaching  to 
base  of  bill  and  forming  partial  eye-ring.  Also  white  line  on 
sides  of  throat.     Bill  and  feet  black. 

jRange—Hori\\  America,  from  Ontario  to  Central  America  and 
westward  to  the  plains.  Most  common  in  Middle  Atlantic 
States. 

Mtgratiofis—'E^dy  May.  Late  August  or  September.  Summer 
resident. 

This  largest  of  the  warblers  might  be  mistaken  for  a  dozen 
birds  collectively  in  as  many  minutes;  but  when  it  is  known  that 
the  jumble  of  whistles,  parts  of  songs,  chuckles,  clucks,  barks, 
quacks,  whines,  and  wails  proceed  from  a  single  throat,  the 
yellow-breasted  chat  becomes  a  marked  specimen  forthwith — 
a  conspicuous  individual  never  to  be  confused  with  any  other 
member  of  the  feathered  tribe.  It  is  indeed  absolutely  unique. 
The  catbird  and  the  mocking-bird  are  rare  mimics;  but  while  the 
chat  is  not  their  equal  in  this  respect,  it  has  a  large  repertoire  of 
weird,  uncanny  cries  all  its  own — a  power  of  throwing  its  voice, 
like  a  human  ventriloquist,  into  unexpected  corners  of  the  thicket 
or  meadow.  In  addition  to  its  extraordinary  vocal  feats,  it  can 
turn  somersaults  and  do  other  clown-like  stunts  as  well  as  any 
variety  actor  on  the  Bowery  stage. 

Only  by  creeping  cautiously  towards  the  roadside  tangle, 
where  this  "rollicking  polyglot"  is  entertaining  himself  and  his 
mate,  brooding  over  her  speckled  eggs  in  a  bulky  nest  set  in  a 
most  inaccessible  briery  part  of  the  thicket,  can  you  hope  to  hear 
him  rattle  through  his  variety  performance.  Walk  boldly  or 
noisily  past  his  retreat,  and  there  is  "  silence  there  and  nothing 
more."  But  two  very  bright  eyes  peer  out  at  you  through  the 
undergrowth,  where  the  trim,  elegant-looking  bird  watches  you 
with   quizzical   suspicion    until   you   quietly   seat   yourself  and 

206 


Conspicuously  Yellow  and  Orange 

assume  silent  indifference.  "  Whew,  whew  /  "  he  begins,  and  then 
immediately,  with  evident  intent  to  amuse,  he  rattles  off  an  inde- 
scribable, eccentric  medley  until  your  ears  are  tired  listening. 
With  bill  uplifted,  tail  drooping,  wings  fluttering  at  his  side, 
he  cuts  an  absurd  figure  enough,  but  not  so  comical  as  when  he 
rises  into  the  air,  trailing  his  legs  behind  him  stork-fashion.  This 
surely  is  the  clown  among  birds.  But  zany  though  he  is,  he  is 
as  capable  of  devotion  to  his  Columbine  as  Punchinello,  and  re- 
mains faithfully  mated  year  after  year.  However  much  of  a  tease 
and  a  deceiver  he  may  be  to  the  passer-by  along  the  roadside,  in 
the  privacy  of  the  domestic  circle  he  shows  truly  lovable  traits. 

He  has  the  habit  of  singing  in  his  unmusical  way  on  moon- 
light nights.  Probably  his  ventriloquial  powers  are  cultivated 
not  for  popular  entertainment,  but  to  lure  intruders  away  from 
his  nest. 

Maryland  Yellowthroat 

(Geothlypis  trichas)  Wood  Warbler  family 

Called  also:  BLACK-MASKED    GROUND    WARBLER 

Length — 5.33  inches.  Just  an  inch  shorter  than  the  typical  Eng- 
lish sparrow. 

Male — Olive-gray  on  head,  shading  to  olive-green  on  all  the  other 
upper  parts.  Forehead,  cheeks,  and  sides  of  head  black, 
like  a  mask,  and  bordered  behind  by  a  grayish  line.  Throat 
and  breast  bright  yellow,  growing  steadily  paler  underneath. 

Female — Either  totally  lacks  black  mask  or  its  place  is  indicated 
by  only  a  dusky  tint.     She  is  smaller  and  duller. 

Range — Eastern  North  America,  west  to  the  plains;  most  common 
east  of  the  Alleghanies.  Nests  from  the  Gulf  States  to  Lab- 
rador and  Manitoba;  winters  south  of  Gulf  States  to  Panama. 

Migrations — May.     September.     Common  summer  resident. 

"Given  a  piece  of  marshy  ground  with  an  abundance  of 
skunk  cabbage  and  a  fairly  dense  growth  of  saplings,  and  near 
by  a  tangle  of  green  brier  and  blackberry,  and  you  will  be  pretty 
sure  to  have  it  tenanted  by  a  pair  of  yellowthroats,"  says  Dr.  Ab- 
bott, who  found  several  of  their  nests  in  skunk-cabbage  plants, 
which  he  says  are  favorite  cradles.  No  animal  cares  to  touch 
this  plant  if  it  can  be  avoided;  but  have  the  birds  themselves  no 
sense  of  smell  .^ 

207 


Conspicuously  Yellow  and  Orange 

Before  and  after  the  nesting  season  these  active  birds,  plump 
of  form,  elegant  of  attire,  forceful,  but  not  bold,  enter  the  scrubby 
pastures  near  our  houses  and  the  shrubbery  of  old-fashioned, 
overgrown  gardens,  and  peer  out  at  the  human  wanderer  therein 
with  a  charming  curiosity.  The  bright  eyes  of  the  male  masquer- 
ader  shine  through  his  black  mask,  where  he  intently  watches 
you  from  the  tangle  of  syringa  and  snowball  bushes  ;  and  as  he 
flies  into  the  laburnum  with  its  golden  chain  of  blossoms  that  pale 
before  the  yellow  of  his  throat  and  breast,  you  are  so  impressed 
with  his  grace  and  elegance  that  you  follow  too  audaciously,  he 
thinks,  and  off  he  goes.  And  yet  this  is  a  bird  that  seems  to  de- 
light in  being  pursued.  It  never  goes  so  far  away  that  you  are 
not  tempted  to  follow  it,  though  it  be  through  dense  undergrowth 
and  swampy  thickets,  and  it  always  gives  you  just  glimpse 
enough  of  its  beauties  and  graces  before  it  flies  ahead,  to  invite 
the  hope  of  a  closer  inspection  next  time.  When  it  dives  into  the 
deepest  part  of  the  tangle,  where  you  can  imagine  it  hunting  about 
among  the  roots  and  fallen  leaves  for  the  larvae,  caterpillars,  spi- 
ders, and  other  insects  on  which  it  feeds,  it  sometimes  amuses 
itself  with  a  simple  little  song  between  the  hunts.  But  the  bird's 
indifference,  you  feel  sure,  arises  from  preoccupation  rather  than 
rudeness. 

If,  however,  your  visit  to  the  undergrowth  is  unfortunately 
timed  and  there  happens  to  be  a  bulky  nest  in  process  of  con- 
struction on  the  ground,  a  quickly  repeated,  vigorous  chit,  pit, 
quit,  impatiently  inquires  the  reason  for  your  bold  intrusion. 
Withdraw  discreetly  and  listen  to  the  love-song  that  is  presently 
poured  out  to  reassure  his  plain  little  maskless  mate.  The  music 
is  delivered  with  all  the  force  and  energy  of  his  vigorous  nature 
and  penetrates  to  a  surprising  distance.  "  Follow  me,  follow  me, 
follow  me,"  many  people  hear  him  say;  others  write  the  syllables, 
"  Wichity,  wichity,  wichity,  wicbity";  and  still  others  write 
them,  "  I  beseech  you,  I  beseech  you,  I  beseech  you,"  though  the 
tones  of  this  self-assertive  bird  rather  command  than  entreat. 
Mr.  Frank  Chapman  says  of  the  yellowthroats  :  "They  sing 
throughout  the  summer,  and  in  August  add  a  flight-song  to  their 
repertoire.  This  is  usually  uttered  toward  evening,  when  the  bird 
springs  several  feet  into  the  air,  hovers  for  a  second,  and  then 
drops  back  to  the  bushes." 


208 


BLACKBURNIAN   WARBLER 


Conspicuously  Yellow  and  Oratige 

Blackburnian  Warbler 

(Dendroica  Uackbiirnice)  Wood  Warbler  family 

Called  also:    HEMLOCK  WARBLER  ;    ORANGE-THROATED 
WARBLER  ;    TORCH-BIRD 

Length— 4.^  to  5.5  inches.     An  inch  and  a  half  smaller  than  the 

English  sparrow. 
Male — Head  black,  striped  with  orange-flame  ;  throat  and  breast 

orange,    shading    through    yellow    to    white    underneath  ; 

wings,  tail,  and  part  of  back  black,  with  white  markings. 
Female — Olive-brown  above,  shading  into  yellow  on  breast,  and 

paler  under  parts. 
Range — Eastern  North  America  to  plains.     Winters  in  tropics. 
Migrations — May.     September.     Spring  and  autumn  migrant. 

"The  orange-throated  warbler  would  seem  to  be  his  right 
name,  his  characteristic  cognomen,"  says  John  Burroughs,  in  ever- 
delightful  "Wake  Robin"  ;  "but  no,  he  is  doomed  to  wear  the 
name  of  some  discoverer,  perhaps  the  first  who  robbed  his  nest 
or  rifled  him  of  his  mate  —  Blackburn;  hence,  Blackburnian 
warbler.  The  hum  seems  appropriate  enough,  for  in  these  dark 
evergreens  his  throat  and  breast  show  like  flame.  He  has  a  very 
fine  warble,  suggesting  that  of  the  redstart,  but  not  especially 
musical." 

No  foliage  is  dense  enough  to  hide,  and  no  autumnal  tint  too 
brilliant  to  outshine  this  luminous  little  bird  that  in  May,  as  it 
migrates  northward  to  its  nesting  ground,  darts  in  and  out  of  the 
leafy  shadows  like  a  tongue  of  fire. 

It  is  by  far  the  most  glorious  of  all  the  warblers — a  sort  of 
diminutive  oriole.  The  quiet-colored  little  mate  flits  about  after 
him,  apparently  lost  in  admiration  of  his  fine  feathers  and  the 
ease  with  which  his  thin  tenor  voice  can  end  his  lover's  warble  in 
a  high  Z. 

Take  a  good  look  at  this  attractive  couple,  for  in  May  they 
leave  us  to  build  a  nest  of  bark  and  moss  in  the  evergreens  of 
Canada — that  paradise  for  warblers — or  of  the  Catskills  and  Adiron- 
dacks,  and  in  autumn  they  hurry  south  to  escape  the  first  frosts. 


209 


Conspicuously  Yellow  and  Orange 

Redstart 

(Setophaga  riiticilla)  Wood  Warbler  family 

Called  also:  YELLOW -TAILED   WARBLER 

Length — 5  to  5.5  inches. 

Male — In  spring  plumage:  Head,  neck,  back,  and  middle  breast 
glossy  black,  with  blue  reflections.  Breast  and  underneath 
white,  slightly  flushed  with  salmon,  increasing  to  bright 
salmon-orange  on  the  sides  of  the  body  and  on  the  wing 
linings.  Occasional  specimens  show  orange-red.  Tail  feath- 
ers partly  black,  partly  orange,  with  broad  black  band  across 
the  end.  Orange  markings  on  wings.  Bill  and  feet  black. 
In  autumn :  Fading  into  rusty  black,  olive,  and  yellow. 

Female — Olive-brown,  and  yellow  where  the  male  is  orange. 
Young  browner  than  the  females. 

Range — North  America  to  upper  Canada.  West  occasionally,  as 
far  as  the  Pacific  coast,  but  commonly  found  in  summer  in 
the  Atlantic  and  Middle  States. 

Migrations — Early  May.     End  of  September.     Summer  resident. 

Late  some  evening,  early  in  May,  when  one  by  one  the  birds 
have  withdrawn  their  voices  from  the  vesper  chorus,  listen  for 
the  lingering  "  'tsee,  'tsee/tseet  "  (usually  twelve  times  repeated 
in  a  minute),  that  the  redstart  sweetly  but  rather  monotonously 
sings  from  the  evergreens,  where,  as  his  tiny  body  burns  in  the 
twilight,  Mrs.  Wright  likens  him  to  a  "  wind-blown  firebrand, 
half  glowing,  half  charred." 

But  by  daylight  this  brilliant  little  warbler  is  constantly  on 
the  alert.  It  is  true  he  has  the  habit,  like  the  flycatchers  (among 
which  some  learned  ornithologists  still  class  him),  of  sitting  pen- 
sively on  a  branch,  with  fluffy  feathers  and  drooping  wings;  but 
the  very  next  instant  he  shows  true  warbler  blood  by  making  a 
sudden  dash  upward,  then  downward  through  the  air,  tumbling 
somersaults,  as  if  blown  by  the  wind,  flitting  from  branch  to 
branch,  busily  snapping  at  the  tiny  insects  hidden  beneath  the 
leaves,  clinging  to  the  tree-trunk  like  a  creeper,  and  singing 
between  bites. 

Possibly  he  will  stop  long  enough  in  his  mad  chase  to  open 
and  shut  his  tail,  fan-fashion,  with  a  dainty  egotism  that,  in  the 
peacock,  becomes  rank  vanity. 


Conspicuously  Yellow  and  Orange 

The  Germans  call  this  little  bird  roth  Stert  (red  tail),  but,  like 
so  many  popular  names,  this  is  a  misnomer,  as,  strictly  speaking, 
the  redstart  is  never  red,  though  its  salmon-orange  markings 
often  border  on  to  orange-flame. 

In  a  fork  of  some  tall  bush  or  tree,  placed  ten  or  fifteen  feet 
from  the  ground,  a  carefully  constructed  little  nest  is  made  of 
moss,  horsehair,  and  strippings  from  the  bark,  against  which 
the  nest  is  built,  the  better  to  conceal  its  location.  Four  or  five 
whitish  eggs,  thickly  sprinkled  with  pale  brown  and  lilac,  like  the 
other  warblers',  are  too  jealously  guarded  by  the  little  mother-bird 
to  be  very  often  seen. 


Baltimore  Oriole 

(Icterus  galbula)  Oriole  and  Blackbird  family 

Called  also:  GOLDEN  ORIOLE;  FIREBIRD;  GOLDEN  ROBIN; 
HANG-NEST;  ENGLISH   ROBIN 

Length—']  to  8  inches.     About  one-fifth  smaller  than  the  robin. 

Male — Head,  throat,  upper  part  of  back  glossy  black.  Wings 
black,  with  white  spots  and  edgings.  Tail-quills  black,  with 
yellow  markings  on  the  tips.  Everywhere  else  orange, 
shading  into  flame. 

Female— Y tWo^xsh.  olive.  Wings  dark  brown,  and  quills  mar- 
gined with  white.  Tail  yellowish  brown,  with  obscure, 
dusky  bars. 

Range— ^ht  whole  United  States.  Most  numerous  in  Eastern 
States  below  55°  north  latitude. 

Migrations — Early  May.  Middle  of  September.  Common  sum- 
mer resident. 

A  flash  of  fire  through  the  air;  a  rich,  high,  whistled  song 
floating  in  the  wake  of  the  feathered  meteor:  the  Baltimore  oriole 
cannot  be  mistaken.  When  the  orchards  are  in  blossom  he 
arrives  in  full  plumage  and  song,  and  awaits  the  coming  of  the 
female  birds,  that  travel  northward  more  leisurely  in  flocks.  He 
is  decidedly  in  evidence.  No  foliage  is  dense  enough  to  hide  his 
brilliancy;  his  temper,  quite  as  fiery  as  his  feathers,  leads  him 
into  noisy  quarrels,  and  his  insistent  song  with  its  martial,  inter- 
rogative notes  becomes  almost  tiresome  until  he  is  happily  mated 
and  family  cares  check  his  enthusiasm. 

211 


Conspicuously  Yellow  and  Orange. 

Among  the  best  architects  in  the  world  is  his  plain  but  ener- 
getic mate.  Gracefully  swung  from  a  high  branch  of  some  tali 
tree,  the  nest  is  woven  with  exquisite  skill  into  a  long,  flexible 
pouch  that  rain  cannot  penetrate,  nor  wind  shake  from  its  horse- 
hair moorings.  Bits  of  string,  threads  of  silk,  and  sometime? 
yarn  of  the  gayest  colors,  if  laid  about  the  shrubbery  in  the  garden, 
will  be  quickly  interwoven  with  the  shreds  of  bark  and  milk- 
weed stalks  that  the  bird  has  found  afield.  The  shape  of  the 
nest  often  differs,  because  in  unsettled  regions,  where  hawks 
abound,  it  is  necessary  to  make  it  deeper  than  seven  inches  (the 
customary  depth  when  it  is  built  near  the  homes  of  men),  and  to 
partly  close  it  at  the  top  to  conceal  the  sitting  bird.  From  four 
to  six  whitish  eggs,  scrawled  over  with  black-brown,  are  hatched 
by  the  mother  oriole,  and  most  jealously  guarded  by  her  now 
truly  domesticated  mate. 

The  number  of  grubs,  worms,  flies,  caterpillars,  and  even 
cocoons,  that  go  to  satisfy  the  hunger  of  a  family  of  orioles  in  a 
day,  might  indicate,  if  it  could  be  computed,  the  great  value  these 
birds  are  about  our  homes,  aside  from  the  good  cheer  they  bring. 

There  is  a  popular  tradition  about  the  naming  of  this  gorgeous 
bird :  When  George  Calvert,  the  first  Lord  Baltimore,  worn  out 
anddiscouraged  by  various  hardships  in  his  Newfoundland  colony, 
decided  to  visit  Virginia  in  1628,  he  wrote  that  nothing  in  the 
Chesapeake  country  so  impressed  him  as  the  myriads  of  birds 
in  its  woods.  But  the  song  and  color  of  the  oriole  particularly 
cheered  and  delighted  him,  and  orange  and  black  became  the 
heraldic  colors  of  the  first  lords  proprietors  of  Maryland. 

Hush  !  'tis  he  ! 
My  Oriole,  my  glance  of  summer  fire, 
Is  come  at  last;  and  ever  on  the  watch, 
Twitches  the  pack-thread  I  had  lightly  wound 
About  the  bough  to  help  his  housekeeping. 
Twitches  and  scouts  by  turns,  blessing  his  luck, 
Yet  fearing  me  who  laid  it  in  his  way. 
Nor,  more  than  wiser  we  in  our  affairs. 
Divines  the  Providence  that  hides  and  helps. 
Heave,  ho  !    Heave,  ho  !  he  whistles  as  the  twine 
Slackens  its  hold;  once  more,  no-v  !  and  a  flash 
Lightens  across  the  sunlight  to  the  elm 
Where  his  mate  dangles  at  her  cup  of  felt. 

—James  Russell  Lowell. 


BIRDS  COMSPICUOUSLY  RED  OF  ANY  SHADE 

Cardinal  Grosbeak 

Summer  Tanager 

Scarlet  Tanager 

Pine  Grosbeak 

American  Crossbill  and  the  White-winged  Crossbill 

Redpoll  and  Greater  Redpoll 

Purple  Finch 

Robin 

Orchard  Oriole 


See  the  Red-winged  Blackbird  (Black).  See  also  the  males  of  the  Rose-breasted 
Grosbeak,  the  Woodpeckers,  the  Chewink  (Black  and  White);  the  Red-breasted 
Nuthatch,  the  Bay-breasted  and  the  Chestnut-sided  Warblers  (Slate  and  Gray);  the 
Bluebird  and  Barn  Swallow  (Blue);  the  Flicker  (Brown);  the  Humming-bird  and  the 
Kinglets  (Greenish  Gray);  and  the  Blackburnian  and  Redstart  Warblers,  and  the 
Baltimore  Oriole  (Orange). 


BIRDS   CONSPICUOUSLY  RED  OF  ANY 
SHADE 

Cardinal  Grosbeak 

(Cardinal  cardinalis)  Finch  family 

Called  also:    CRESTED     REDBIRD  ;     VIRGINIA    REDBIRD  ; 
VIRGINIA  NIGHTINGALE  ;    CARDINAL   BIRD 

Length—^  to  9  inches.     A  little  smaller  than  the  robin. 

jj/a;/,?— Brilliant  cardinal  ;  chin  and  band  around  bill  black.     Beak 

stout  and  red.     Crest  conspicuous.     In  winter  dress,  wings 

washed  with  gray. 
i^<fw^/^— Brownish  yellow  above,  shading  to  gray  below.     Tail 

shorter  than  the  male's.     Crest,   wings,   and  tail   reddish. 

Breast  sometimes  tinged  with  red. 
Eange— Eastern  United  States.     A  Southern  bird,  becoming  more 

and  more  common  during  the  summer  in  States  north  of 

Virginia,   especially  in  Ohio,  south  of  which  it  is  resident 

throughout  the  year. 
Mig ratio jis—Ktsidtnt    rather    than    migrating   birds,    remaining 

throughout  the  winter  in  localities  where  they  have  found 

their  way.     Travel  in  flocks. 

Among  the  numerous  names  by  which  this  beautiful  bird  is 
known,  it  has  become  immortalized  under  the  title  of  Mr.  James 
Lane  Allen's  exquisite  book,  "The  Kentucky  Cardinal."  Here, 
while  we  are  given  a  most  charmingly  sympathetic,  delicate  ac- 
count of  the  bird  "  who  has  only  to  be  seen  or  heard,  and  Death 
adjusts  an  arrow,"  it  is  the  cardinal's  pathetic  fate  that  impresses 
one  most.  Seen  through  less  poetical  eyes,  however,  the  bird 
appears  to  be  a  haughty  autocrat,  a  sort  of  "  F.  F.  V."  among  the 
feathered  tribes,  as,  indeed,  his  title,  "Virginia  redbird,"  has  been 
unkindly  said  to  imply.  Bearing  himself  with  a  refined  and 
courtly  dignity,  not  stooping  to  soil  his  feet  by  walking  on  the 
ground  like  the  more  democratic  robin,  or  even  condescending 

21S 


Conspicuously  Red  of  any  Shade 

below  the  level  of  the  laurel  bushes,  the  cardinal  is  literally  a  shin- 
ing example  of  self-conscious  superiority — a  bird  to  call  forth 
respect  and  admiration  rather  than  affection.  But  a  group  of 
cardinals  in  a  cedar  tree  in  a  snowy  winter  landscape  makes  us 
forgetful  of  everything  but  their  supreme  beauty. 

As  might  be  expected  in  one  of  the  finch  family,  the  cardinal 
is  a  songster — the  fact  which,  in  connection  with  his  lovely  plu- 
mage, accounts  for  the  number  of  these  birds  shipped  in  cages  to 
Europe,  where  they  are  known  as  Virginia  nightingales.  Com- 
mencing with  a  strong,  rich  whistle,  like  the  high  notes  of  a  fife, 
"  Cheo-cheo-cheo-cheo,"  repeated  over  and  over  as  if  to  make  per- 
fect the  start  of  a  song  he  is  about  to  sing,  suddenly  he  stops, 
and  you  learn  that  there  is  to  be  no  glorious  performance  after  all, 
only  a  prelude  to — nothing.  The  song,  such  as  it  is,  begins, 
with  both  male  and  female,  in  March,  and  lasts,  with  a  brief  in- 
termission, until  September — "the  most  melodious  sigh,"  as  Mr. 
Allen  calls  it.  Early  in  May  the  cardinals  build  a  bulky  and  loosely 
made  nest,  usually  in  the  holly,  laurel,  or  other  evergreen  shrubs 
that  they  always  love  to  frequent,  especially  if  these  are  near 
fields  of  corn  or  other  grain.  And  often  two  broods  in  a  year 
come  forth  from  the  pale-gray,  brown-marked  eggs,  bearing 
what  is  literally  for  them  the  ''fatal  gift  of  beauty." 

Summer  Tanager 

(Piranga  rubra)  Tanager  family 

Called  also:  REDBIRD;  SMOOTH-HEADED  REDBIRD 

Length — 7.5  inches.     About  one-fourth  smaller  than  the  robin. 

Male — Uniform  red.     Wings  and  tail  like  the  body. 

Female— Xi^'per  parts  yellowish  olive-green ;  underneath  inclining 
to  orange-yellow. 

Range — Tropical  portions  of  two  Americas  and  eastern  United 
States.  Most  common  in  Southern  States.  Rare  north  of 
Pennsylvania.     Winters  in  the  tropics. 

Migrations — In  Southern  States  :  April.  October.  Irregular  mi- 
grant north  of  the  Carolinas. 

Thirty  years  ago,  it  is  recorded  that  so  far  north  as  New  Jer- 
sey the  summer  redbird  was  quite  as  common  as  any  of  the 
thrushes.     In  the  South  still  there  is  scarcely  an  orchard  that  does 

216 


Conspicuously  Red  of  any  Shade 

not  contain  this  tropical-looking  beauty— the  redbird  par  excel- 
lence, the  sweetest  singer  of  the  family.  Is  there  a  more  beauti- 
ful sight  in  all  nature  than  a  grove  of  orange  trees  laden  with 
fruit,  starred  with  their  delicious  blossoms,  and  with  flocks  of 
redbirds  disporting  themselves  among  the  dark,  glossy  leaves  ? 
Pine  and  oak  woods  are  also  favorite  resorts,  especially  at  the 
north,  where  the  bird  nowadays  forsakes  the  orchards  to  hide  his 
beauty,  if  he  can,  unharmed  by  the  rifle  that  only  rarely  is  offered 
so  shining  a  mark.  He  shows  the  scarlet  tanager's  preference  for 
tree-tops,  where  his  musical  voice,  calling  "  Chicky-tucky-tuk," 
alone  betrays  his  presence  in  the  woods.  The  Southern  farmers 
declare  that  he  is  an  infallible  weather  prophet,  his  ''WET,  WET, 
WET,"  being  the  certain  indication  of  rain — another  absurd  saw, 
for  the  call-note  is  by  no  means  confined  to  the  rainy  season. 

The  yellowish-olive  mate,  whose  quiet  colors  betray  no  nest 
secrets,  collects  twigs  and  grasses  for  the  cradle  to  be  saddled  on 
the  end  of  some  horizontal  branch,  though  in  this  work  the  male 
sometimes  cautiously  takes  an  insignificant  part.  After  her  three 
or  four  eggs  are  laid  she  sits  upon  them  for  nearly  two  weeks, 
being  only  rarely  and  stealthily  visited  by  her  mate  with  some 
choice  grub,  blossom,  or  berry  in  his  beak.  But  how  cheerfully 
his  fife-like  whistle  rings  out  during  the  temporary  exile  !  Then 
his  song  is  at  its  best.  Later  in  the  summer  he  has  an  aggravat- 
ing way  of  joining  in  the  chorus  of  other  birds'  songs,  by  which 
the  pleasant  individuality  of  his  own  voice  is  lost. 

A  nest  of  these  tanagers,  observed  not  far  from  New  York 
City,  was  commenced  the  last  week  of  May  on  the  extreme  edge 
of  a  hickory  limb  in  an  open  wood ;  four  eggs  were  laid  on  the 
fourth  of  June,  and  twelve  days  later  the  tiny  fledglings,  that  all 
look  like  their  mother  in  the  early  stages  of  their  existence,  burst 
from  the  greenish-white,  speckled  shells.  In  less  than  a  month ' 
the  young  birds  were  able  to  fly  quite  well  and  collect  their  food. 


217 


Conspicuously  Red  of  any  Shade 

Scarlet  Tanager 

(Piranga  erythromelas)  Tanager  family 

Called  also :  ^LACK-\MmG^D    REDBIRD  ;    FIREBIRD;    CAN- 
ADA TANAGER  ;    POCKET-BIRD 

Lefjgth — 7  to  7. 5  inches.     About  one-fourth  smaller  than  the  robin. 

iMale — In  spring  plumage :  Brilliant  scarlet,  with  black  wings  and 
tail.  Under  wing  coverts  grayish  white.  In  autumn :  Simi- 
lar to  female. 

Female — Olive-green  above;  wings  and  tail  dark,  lightly  margined 
with  olive.     Underneath  greenish  yellow. 

Range — North  America  to  northern  Canada  boundaries,  and  south- 
ward in  winter  to  South  America. 

Migrations— yidi^ .     October.     Summer  resident 

The  gorgeous  coloring  of  the  scarlet  tanager  has  been  its 
snare  and  destruction.  The  densest  evergreens  could  not  alto- 
gether hide  this  blazing  target  for  the  sportsman's  gun,  too  often 
fired  at  the  instigation  of  city  milliners.  "Fine  feathers  make 
fine  birds  " — and  cruel,  silly  women,  the  adage  might  be  adapted 
for  latter-day  use.  This  rarely  beautiful  tanager,  thanks  to  them, 
is  now  only  an  infrequent  flash  of  beauty  in  our  country  roads. 

Instinct  leads  it  to  be  chary  of  its  charms;  and  whereas  it 
used  to  be  one  of  the  commonest  of  bird  neighbors,  it  is  now  shy 
and  solitary.  An  ideal  resort  for  it  is  a  grove  of  oak  or  swamp 
maple  near  a  stream  or  pond  where  it  can  bathe.  Evergreen 
trees,  too,  are  favorites,  possibly  because  the  bird  knows  how 
exquisitely  its  bright  scarlet  coat  is  set  off  by  their  dark  back- 
ground. 

High  in  the  tree-tops  he  perches,  all  unsuspected  by  the  vis- 
itor passing  through  the  woods  below,  until  a  burst  of  rich,  sweet 
melody  directs  the  opera-glasses  suddenly  upward.  There  we 
detect  him  carolling  loud  and  cheerfully,  like  a  robin.  He  is  an 
apparition  of  beauty — a  veritable  bird  of  paradise,  as,  indeed,  he 
is  sometimes  called.  Because  of  their  similar  coloring,  the  tana- 
ger and  cardinal  are  sometimes  confounded,  but  an  instant's 
comparison  of  the  two  birds  shows  nothing  in  common  except 
red  feathers,  and  even  those  of  quite  different  shades.  The  incon- 
spicuous olive-green  and  yellow  of  the  female  tanager's  plumage 
is  another  striking  instance  of  Nature's  unequal  distribution  of 

218 


Conspicuously  Red  of  any  Shade 

gifts;  but  if  our  bright-colored  birds  have  become  shockingly 
few  under  existing  conditions,  would  any  at  all  remain  were  the 
females  prominent,  like  the  males,  as  they  brood  upon  the  nest  ? 
Both  tanagers  construct  a  rather  disorderly-looking  nest  of  fibres 
and  sticks,  through  which  daylight  can  be  seen  where  it  rests 
securely  upon  the  horizontal  branch  of  some  oak  or  pine  tree; 
but  as  soon  as  three  or  four  bluish-green  eggs  have  been  laid 
in  the  cradle,  off  goes  the  father,  wearing  his  tell-tale  coat,  to 
a  distant  tree.  There  he  sings  his  sweetest  carol  to  the  patient, 
brooding  mate,  returning  to  her  side  only  long  enough  to  feed 
her  with  the  insects  and  berries  that  form  their  food. 

Happily  for  the  young  birds'  fate,  they  are  clothed  at  first  in 
motley,  dull  colors,  with  here  and  there  only  a  bright  touch  of 
scarlet,  yellow,  and  olive  to  prove  their  claim  to  the  parent  whose 
gorgeous  plumage  must  be  their  admiration.  But  after  the  moult- 
ing season  it  would  be  a  wise  tanager  that  knew  its  own  father. 
His  scarlet  feathers  are  now  replaced  by  an  autumn  coat  of  olive 
and  yellow  not  unlike  his  mate's. 

Pine  Grosbeak 

(Pinicola  emicleator)  Finch  family 

Called  also:   PINE   BULLFINCH 

Laigth — Variously  recorded  from  6. 5  to  11  inches.  Specimen 
measured  8.5  inches.    About  one-fifth  smaller  than  the  robin. 

Male — General  color  strawberry-red,  with  some  slate-gray  fleck- 
ings  about  head,  under  wings,  and  on  legs.  Tail  brown; 
wings  brown,  marked  with  black  and  white  and  slate.  A 
band -shaped  series  of  markings  between  the  shoulders. 
Underneath  paler  red,  merging  into  grayish  green.  Heavy, 
conspicuous  bill. 

Female — Ash-brown.  Head  and  hind  neck  yellowish  brown, 
each  feather  having  central  dusky  streak.  Cheeks  and 
throat  yellowish.  Beneath  ash-gray,  tinged  with  brownish 
yellow  under  tail. 

Range — British  American  provinces  and  northern  United  States. 

Migrations — Irregular  winter  visitors;  length  of  visits  as  uncer- 
tain as  their  coming. 

As  inseparable  as  bees  from  flowers,  so  are  these  beautiful 
winter  visitors  from   the    evergreen   woods,    where    their    red 

219 


Conspicuously  Red  of  any  Shade 

feathers,  shining  against  the  dark-green  background  of  the  trees^ 
give  them  charming  prominence;  but  they  also  feed  freely  upon 
the  buds  of  various  deciduous  trees. 

South  of  Canada  we  may  not  look  for  them  except  in  the 
severest  winter  weather.  Even  then  their  coming  is  not  to  be 
positively  depended  upon;  but  when  their  caprice — or  was  it  an 
unusually  fierce  northern  blast  ? — sends  them  over  the  Canada 
border,  it  is  a  simple  matter  to  identify  them  when  such  brilliant 
birds  are  rare.  The  brownish-yellow  and  grayish  females  and 
young  males,  however,  always  seem  to  be  in  the  majority  with 
us,  though  our  Canadian  friends  assure  us  of  the  irreproachable 
morals  of  this  gay  bird. 

Wherever  there  are  clusters  of  pine  or  cedar  trees,  when 
there  is  a  flock  of  pine  grosbeaks  in  the  neighborhood,  you  may 
expect  to  find  a  pair  of  birds  diligently  feeding  upon  the  seeds 
and  berries.  No  cheerful  note  escapes  them  as  they  persistently 
gormandize,  and,  if  the  truth  must  be  confessed,  they  appear  to 
be  rather  stupid  and  uninteresting,  albeit  they  visit  us  at  a  time 
when  we  are  most  inclined  to  rapture  over  our  bird  visitors. 
They  are  said  to  have  a  deliciously  sweet  song  in  the  nesting 
season,  when,  however,  few  except  the  Canadian  vqyageurs 
hear  it. 

American  Crossbill 

(Loxia  curvirostra  minor)  Finch  family 

Called  also:  RED  CROSSBILL 

Length — 6  to  7  inches.     About  the  size  of  the  English  sparrow. 

Male — General  color  Indian  red,  passing  into  brownish  gray,  with 
red  tinge  beneath.  Wings  (without  bands),  also  tail,  brown. 
Beak  crossed  at  the  tip. 

Female — General  color  greenish  yellow,  with  brownish  tints. 
Dull-yellowish  tints  on  head,  throat,  breast,  and  underneath. 
Wings  and  tail  pale  brown.     Beak  crossed  at  tip. 

Eange — Pennsylvania  to  northern  British  America.  West  of  Mis- 
sissippi, range  more  southerly. 

Migrations — Irregular  winter  visitor.  November.  Sometimes 
resident  until  April. 

It  is  a  rash  statement  to  say  that  a  bird  is  rare  simply  because 
you  have  never  seen  it  in  your  neighborhood,  for  while  you  are 

220 


Conspicuously  Red  of  any  Shade 

going  out  of  the  front  door  your  rara  avis  may  be  eating  the 
crumbs  about  your  kitchen.  Even  with  our  eyes  and  ears  con- 
stantly alert  for  some  fresh  bird  excitement,  our  phlegmatic 
neighbor  over  the  way  may  be  enjoying  a  visit  from  a  whole 
flock  of  the  very  bird  we  have  been  looking  and  listening  for  in 
vain  all  the  year.  The  red  crossbills  are  capricious  little  visitors, 
it  is  true,  but  by  no  means  uncommon. 

About  the  size  of  an  English  sparrow,  of  a  brick  or  Indian 
red  color,  for  the  most  part,  the  peculiarity  of  its  parrot-like  beak 
is  its  certain  mark  of  identification. 

Longfellow  has  rendered  into  verse  the  German  legend  of  the 
crossbill,  which  tells  that  as  the  Saviour  hung  upon  the  cross,  a 
little  bird  tried  to  pull  out  the  nails  that  pierced  His  hands  and 
feet,  thus  twisting  its  beak  and  staining  its  feathers  with  the 
blood. 

At  first  glance  the  birds  would  seem  to  be  hampered  by  their 
crossed  beaks  in  getting  at  the  seeds  in  the  pine  cones — a  super- 
ficial criticism  when  the  thoroughness  and  admirable  dexterity  of 
their  work  are  better  understood. 

Various  seeds  of  fruits,  berries,  and  the  buds  of  trees  enlarge 
their  bill  of  fare.  They  are  said  to  be  inordinately  fond  of  salt. 
Mr.  Romeyn  B.  Hough  tells  of  a  certain  old  ice-cream  freezer  that 
attracted  flocks  of  crossbills  one  winter,  as  a  salt-lick  attracts  deer. 
Whether  the  traditional  salt  that  may  have  stuck  to  the  bird's  tail 
is  responsible  for  its  tameness  is  not  related,  but  it  is  certain  the 
crossbills,  like  most  bird  visitors  from  the  far  north,  are  remark- 
ably gentle,  friendly  little  birds.  As  they  swing  about  the  pine 
trees,  parrot-fashion,  with  the  help  of  their  bill,  calling  out  himp, 
kimp,  that  sounds  like  the  snapping  of  the  pine  cones  on  a  sunny 
day,  it  often  seems  easily  possible  to  catch  them  with  the  hand. 

There  is  another  species  of  crossbill,  called  the  White- winged 
(Loxia  leucoptera),  that  differs  from  the  preceding  chiefly  in  hav- 
ing two  white  bands  across  its  wings  and  in  being  more  rare. 


221 


Conspicuously  Red  of  any  Shade 

The   Redpoll 

(Acanthis  linaria)  Finch  family 

Called  also  :  REDPOLL  LINNET;  LITTLE  SNOWBIRD;  LESSER 

REDPOLL 

Length — 5.25  to  5.5  inches.  About  an  inch  shorter  than  the  Eng- 
lish sparrow. 

Male — A  rich  crimson  wash  on  head,  neck,  breast,  and  lower 
back,  that  is  sometimes  only  a  pink  when  we  see  the  bird  in 
midwinter.  Grayish-brown,  sparrowy  feathers  show  under- 
neath the  red  wash.  Dusky  wings  and  tail,  the  feathers 
more  or  less  edged  with  whitish.  Soiled  white  underneath; 
the  sides  with  dusky  streaks.     Bill  sharply  pointed. 

Female — More  dingy  than  male,  sides  more  heavily  streaked,  and 
having  crimson  only  on  the  crown. 

Range — An  arctic  bird  that  descends  irregularly  into  the  northern 
United  States. 

Migrations — An  irregular  winter  visitor. 

"Ere  long,  amid  the  cold  and  powdery  snow,  as  it  were  a 
fruit  of  the  season,  will  come  twittering  a  flock  of  delicate  crim- 
son-tinged birds,  lesser  redpolls,  to  sport  and  feed  on  the  buds 
just  ripe  for  them  on  the  sunny  side  of  a  wood,  shaking  down 
the  powdery  snow  there  in  their  cheerful  feeding,  as  if  it  were 
high  midsummer  to  them."  Thoreau's  beautiful  description  of 
these  tiny  winter  visitors,  which  should  be  read  entire,  shows 
the  man  in  one  of  his  most  sympathetic,  exalted  moods,  and  it  is 
the  best  brief  characterization  of  the  redpoll  that  we  have. 

When  the  arctic  cold  becomes  too  cruel  for  even  the  snow- 
birds and  crossbills  to  withstand,  flocks  of  the  sociable  little  red- 
polls flying'  southward  are  the  merest  specks  in  the  sullen,  gray 
sky,  when  they  can  be  seen  at  all.  So  high  do  they  keep  that 
often  they  must  pass  above  our  heads  without  our  knowing  it. 
First  we  see  a  quantity  of  tiny  dots,  like  a  shake  of  pepper,  in  the 
cloud  above,  then  the  specks  grow  larger  and  larger,  and  finally 
the  birds  seem  to  drop  from  the  sky  upon  some  tall  tree  that  they 
completely  cover — a  veritable  cloudburst  of  birds.  Without 
pausing  to  rest  after  the  long  journey,  down  they  flutter  into  the 
weedy  pastures  with  much  cheerful  twittering,  to  feed  upon 
whatever  seeds  may  be  protruding  through  the  snow.     Every 

222 


Conspicuously  Red  of  any  Shade 

action  of  a  flock  seems  to  be  concerted,  as  if  some  rigid  discipli- 
narian had  drilled  them,  and  yet  no  leader  can  be  distinguished 
in  the  merry  company.  When  one  flies,  all  fly;  where  one  feeds, 
all  feed,  and  by  some  subtle  telepathy  all  rise  at  the  identical  in- 
stant from  their  feeding  ground  and  cheerfully  twitter  in  concert 
where  they  all  alight  at  once.  They  are  more  easily  disturbed 
than  the  goldfinches,  that  are  often  seen  feeding  with  them  in  the 
lowlands;  nevertheless,  they  quite  often  venture  into  our  gardens 
and  orchards,  even  in  suburbs  penetrated  by  the  trolley-car. 

Usually  in  winter  we  hear  only  their  lisping  call-note;  but  if 
the  birds  linger  late  enough  in  the  spring,  when  their  "fancy 
lightly  turns  to  thoughts  of  love,"  a  gleeful,  canary-like  song 
comes  from  the  naked  branches,  and  we  may  know  by  it  that 
the  flock  will  soon  disappear  for  their  nesting  grounds  in  the 
northern  forests. 

The  Greater  Redpoll  (Acanthis  linaria  rosirata)  may  be  dis- 
tinguished from  the  foregoing  species  by  its  slightly  larger  size, 
darker  upper  parts,  and  shorter,  stouter  bill.  But  the  notes, 
habits,  and  general  appearance  of  both  redpolls  are  so  nearly 
identical  that  the  birds  are  usually  mistaken  for  each  other. 

Purple  Finch 

(Carpodacus  purpureusj  Finch  family 

Called  also:  PURPLE   LINNET 

Length — 6  to  6.25  inches.  About  the  same  size  as  the  English 
sparrow. 

Male — Until  two  years  old,  sparrow-like  in  appearance  like  the 
female,  but  with  olive-yellow  on  chin  and  lower  back. 
Afterwards  entire  body  suffused  with  a  bright  raspberry-red, 
deepest  on  head,  lower  back,  and  breast,  and  other  parts 
only  faintly  washed  with  this  color.  More  brown  on  back ; 
and  wings  and  tail,  which  are  dusky,  have  some  reddish- 
brown  feathers.  Underneath  grayish  white.  Bill  heavy. 
Tail  forked. 

Female — Grayish  olive -brown  above;  whitish  below;  finely 
streaked  everywhere  with  very  dark  brown,  like  a  sparrow. 
Sides  of  breast  have  arrow-shaped  marks.  Wings  and  tail 
darkest. 

Range — North  America,  from  Columbia  River  eastward  to  Atlan- 

223 


Conspicuously  Red  of  any  Shade 

tic,  and  from  Mexico  northward  to  Manitoba.     Most  com- 
mon in  Middle  States  and  New  England.     Winters  south  of 
Pennsylvania. 
Migrations — March.      November.      Common   summer  resident. 
Rarely  individuals  winter  at  the  north. 

In  this  "much  be-sparrowed  country"  of  ours  familiarity  is 
apt  to  breed  contempt  for  any  bird  that  looks  sparrowy,  in  which 
case  one  of  the  most  delicious  songsters  we  have  might  easily  be 
overlooked.  It  is  not  until  the  purple  finch  reaches  maturity  in 
his  second  year  that  his  plumage  takes  on  the  raspberry-red  tints 
that  some  ornithologists  named  purple.  Oriental  purple  is  our 
magenta,  it  is  true,  but  not  a  raspberry  shade.  Before  maturity, 
but  for  the  yellow  on  his  lower  back  and  throat,  he  and  his 
mate  alike  suggest  a  song-sparrow;  and  it  is  important  to  note 
their  particularly  heavy,  rounded  bills,  with  the  tufts  of  feathers 
at  the  base,  and  their  forked  tails,  to  name  them  correctly.  But 
the  identification  of  the  purple  finch,  after  all,  depends  quite  as 
much  upon  his  song  as  his  color.  In  March,  when  flocks  of 
these  birds  come  north,  he  has  begun  to  sing  a  little  ;  by  the  be- 
ginning of  May  he  is  desperately  in  love,  and  sudden,  joyous 
peals  of  music  from  the  elm  or  evergreen  trees  on  the  lawn  en- 
liven the  garden.  How  could  his  little  brown  lady-love  fail  to 
be  impressed  with  a  suitor  so  gayly  dressed,  so  tender  and  solici- 
tous, so  deliciously  sweet  -  voiced .?  With  fuller,  richer  song 
than  the  warbling  vireo's,  which  Nuttall  has  said  it  resembles,  a 
perfect  ecstasy  of  love  pours  incessantly  from  his  throat  during 
the  early  summer  days.  There  is  a  suggestion  of  the  robin's 
love-song  in  his,  but  its  copiousness,  variety,  and  rapidity  give 
it  a  character  all  its  own. 

In  some  old,  neglected  hedge  or  low  tree  about  the  country- 
place  a  flat,  grassy  nest,  lined  with  horsehair,  contains  four  or 
five  green  eggs  in  June,  and  the  old  birds  are  devotion  itself  to 
each  other,  and  soon  to  their  young,  sparrowy  brood. 

But  when  parental  duties  are  over,  the  finches  leave  our 
lawns  and  gardens  to  join  flocks  of  their  own  kind  in  more  re- 
mote orchards  or  woods,  their  favorite  haunts.  Their  subdued 
warble  may  be  heard  during  October  and  later,  as  if  the  birds 
were  humming  to  themselves. 

Much  is  said  of  their  fondness  for  fruit  blossoms  and  tree 
buds,  but  the  truth  is  that  noxious  insects  and  seeds  of  grain 

224 


Conspicuously  Red  of  any  Shade 

constitute  their  food  in  summer,  the  berries  of  evergreens  in 
winter.  To  a  bird  so  gay  of  color,  charming  of  voice,  social,  and 
trustful  of  disposition,  surely  a  few  blossoms  might  be  spared 
without  grudging. 

The  American  Robin 

(Merula  migratoria)  Thrush  family 

Called  also:  RED-BREASTED    OR   MIGRATORY   THRUSH; 
ROBIN-REDBREAST 

Length — lo  inches. 

Male — Dull  brownish  olive-gray  above.  Head  black;  tail  brown- 
ish black,  with  exterior  feathers  white  at  inner  tip.  Wings 
dark  brownish.  Throat  streaked  with  black  and  white. 
White  eyelids.  Entire  breast  bright  rusty  red ;  whitish  below 
the  tail. 

Female — Duller  and  with  paler  breast,  resembling  the  male  in 

autumn. 
Bange — North  America,  from  Mexico  to  arctic  regions. 
Migrations — March.      October    or    November.      Often    resident 

throughout  the  year. 

It  seems  almost  superfluous  to  write  a  line  of  description 
about  a  bird  that  is  as  familiar  as  a  chicken;  yet  how  can  this 
nearest  of  our  bird  neighbors  be  passed  without  a  reference.? 
Probably  he  was  the  very  first  bird  we  learned  to  call  by  name. 

The  early  English  colonists,  who  had  doubtless  been  brought 
up,  like  the  rest  of  us,  on  "The  Babes  in  the  Wood,"  named  the 
bird  after  the  only  heroes  in  that  melancholy  tale;  but  in  reality 
the  American  robin  is  a  much  larger  bird  than  the  English  robin- 
redbreast  and  less  brilliantly  colored.  John  Burroughs  calls  him, 
of  all  our  birds,  "the  most  native  and  democratic." 

How  the  robin  dominates  birddom  with  his  strong,  aggres- 
sive personality!  His  voice  rings  out  strong  and  clear  in  the 
early  morning  chorus,  and,  more  tenderly  subdued  at  twilight,  it 
still  rises  above  all  the  sleepy  notes  about  him.  Whether  lightly 
tripping  over  the  lawn  after  the  "  early  worm,"  or  rising  with  his 
sharp,  quick  cry  of  alarm,  when  startled,  to  his  nest  near  by, 
every  motion  is  decided,  alert,  and  free.  No  pensive  hermit  of 
the  woods,  like  his  cousins,  the  thrushes,  is  this  joyous,  vigorous 
"  bird  of  the  morning."     Such  a  presence  is  inspiriting. 

225 


Conspicuously  Red  of  any  Shade 

Does  any  bird  excel  the  robin  in  the  great  variety  of  his  vocal 
expressions  ?  Mr.  Parkhurst,  in  his  charming  "Birds'  Calendar," 
says  he  knows  of  "no  other  bird  that  is  able  to  give  so  many 
shades  of  meaning  to  a  single  note,  running  through  the  entire 
gamut  of  its  possible  feelings.  From  the  soft  and  mellow  quality, 
almost  as  coaxing  as  a  dove's  note,  with  which  it  encourages  its 
young  when  just  out  of  the  nest,  the  tone,  with  minute  grada- 
tions, becomes  more  vehement,  and  then  harsh  and  with  quick- 
ened reiteration,  until  it  expresses  the  greatest  intensity  of  a  bird's 
emotions.  Love,  contentment,  anxiety,  exultation,  rage — what 
other  bird  can  throw  such  multifarious  meaning  into  its  tone  ? 
And  herein  the  robin  seems  more  nearly  human  than  any  of  its 
kind." 

There  is  no  one  thing  that  attracts  more  birds  about  the  house 
that  a  drinking-dish — large  enough  for  a  bathtub  as  well;  and 
certainly  no  bird  delights  in  sprinkling  the  water  over  his  back 
more  than  a  robin,  often  aided  in  his  ablutions  by  the  spattering 
of  the  sparrows.  But  see  to  it  that  this  drinking-dish  is  well 
raised  above  the  reach  of  lurking  cats. 

While  the  robin  is  a  famous  splasher,  his  neatness  stops 
there.  A  robin's  nest  is  notoriously  dirty  within,  and  so  care- 
lessly constructed  of  weed-stalks,  grass,  and  mud,  that  a  heavy 
summer  shower  brings  more  robins'  nests  to  the  ground  than  we 
like  to  contemplate.  The  color  of  the  eggs,  as  every  one  knows, 
has  given  their  name  to  the  tint.  Four  is  the  number  of  eggs 
laid,  and  two  broods  are  often  reared  in  the  same  nest. 

Too  much  stress  is  laid  on  the  mischief  done  by  the  robins 
in  the  cherry  trees  and  strawberry  patches,  and  too  little  upon 
the  quantity  of  worms  and  insects  they  devour.  Professor  Tread- 
well,  who  experimented  upon  some  young  robins  kept  in  cap- 
tivity, learned  that  they  ate  sixty-eight  earthworms  daily — "that 
is,  each  bird  ate  forty-one  per  cent,  more  than  its  own  weight  in 
twelve  hours!  The  length  of  these  worms,  if  laid  end  to  end, 
would  be  about  fourteen  feet.  Man,  at  this  rate,  would  eat 
about  seventy  pounds  of  flesh  a  day,  and  drink  five  or  six  gallons 
of  water." 


226 


Conspicuously  Red  of  any  Shade 

Orchard  Oriole 

(Icterus  spurius)  Blackbird  and  Oriole  family 

Called  also:  ORCHARD  STARLING  ;  ORCHARD  HANG-NEST 

Length—']  to  7.3  inches.  About  one-fourth  smaller  than  the 
robin. 

Male — Head,  throat,  upper  back,  tail,  and  part  of  wings  black. 
Breast,  rump,  shoulders,  under  wing  and  tail  coverts,  and 
under  parts  bright  reddish  brown.  Whitish-yellow  mark- 
ings on  a  few  tail  and  wing  feathers. 

Female — Head  and  upper  parts  olive,  shading  into  brown ;  brighter 
on  head  and  near  tail.  Back  and  wings  dusky  brown,  with 
pale-buff  shoulder-bars  and  edges  of  coverts.  Throat  black. 
Under  parts  olive,  shading  into  yellow. 

i?a«^(?— Canada  to  Central  America.  Common  in  temperate  lati- 
tudes of  the  United  States. 

Migrations — Early  May.  Middle  of  September.  Common  sum- 
mer resident. 

With  a  more  southerly  range  than  the  Baltimore  oriole  and 
less  conspicuous  coloring,  the  orchard  oriole  is  not  so  familiar  a 
bird  in  many  Northern  States,  where,  nevertheless,  it  is  quite 
common  enough  to  be  classed  among  our  would-be  intimates. 
The  orchard  is  not  always  as  close  to  the  house  as  this  bird  cares 
to  venture;  he  will  pursue  an  insect  even  to  the  piazza  vines. 

His  song,  says  John  Burroughs,  is  like  scarlet,  "strong,  in- 
tense, emphatic,"  but  it  is  sweet  and  is  more  rapidly  uttered  than 
that  of  others  of  the  family.  It  is  ended  for  the  season  early 
in  July. 

This  oriole,  too,  builds  a  beautiful  nest,  not  often  pendent  like 
the  Baltimore's,  but  securely  placed  in  the  fork  of  a  sturdy  fruit 
tree,  at  a  moderate  height,  and  woven  with  skill  and  precision, 
like  a  basket.  When  the  dried  grasses  from  one  of  these  nests 
were  stretched  and  measured,  all  were  found  to  be  very  nearly  the 
same  length,  showing  to  what  pains  the  little  weaver  had  gone 
to  make  the  nest  neat  and  pliable,  yet  strong.  Four  cloudy- 
white  eggs  with  dark-brown  spots  are  usually  found  in  the  nest 
in  June. 


227 


INDEX 

The  figures   in   black-faced  type   indicate   the  page    upon  which   the 
biography  of  the  bird  is  given. 


Accentor,     Golden-crowned    {see    Oven- 
bird),  1 80. 

Bellbird  {see  Wood  Thrush),  123. 
Bird,  Blue  {see  Bluebird),  gg. 

Butcher  {see  Northern  Shrike),  87. 

Butter  {see  Bobolink),  61. 

Cardinal    {see    Cardinal    Grosbeak), 
215. 

Cedar,  9,  19,  20,  21,  27,  29,  36,  144. 

Cow-pen  {see  Cowbird),  49. 

Grass  {see  Vesper  Sparrow),  162. 

Grease  {see  Canada  Jay),  79. 

Meadow  {see  Bobolink),  61. 

Meat  {see  Canada  Jay),  79. 

Moose  {see  Canada  Jay),  79. 

Myrtle  {see  Myrtle  Warbler),  92. 

Peabody  {see  Vesper  Sparrow),  165. 

Potato  Bug  {see  Rose-breasted  Gros- 
beak), 60. 

Thistle    {see   American    Goldfinch), 
190. 
Blackbird  {see  Rusty  Blackbird),  46. 

and  Oriole  family,  6. 

Cow  {see  Cowbird),  49. 

Crow  {see  Purple  Grackle),  44. 

Red-winged,  6,  21,  22,  23,  28,  30, 
32,  36,  47. 

Rusty,  6,  22,  28,  30,  32,  36,  46. 

Skunk  {see  BoboUnk),  61. 

Swamp  {see  Red-winged  Blackbird), 

47. 
Thrush  {see  Rusty  Blackbird),  46. 
Blackcap  {see  Wilson's  Warbler),  202. 
Bluebird,  14,  19,  20,  21,  22,  27,  28,  29, 

30,  36,  99. 
Bobolink,  7,  22,  23,  28,  30,  31,  36,  61. 
Bull-bat  {see  Nighthawk),  138. 
Bullfinch,  Pine  {see  Pine  Grosbeak),  219. 
Bunting,  Bay-winged  {see  Vesper  Spar- 
row), 162. 
Cow  {see  Cowbird),  49. 
Field  {see  Field  Sparrow),  152. 
Indigo,    8,  21,   22,   23,   29,   30,   31, 
35.  lOl. 


Bunting,    Lapland    Lark    {see    Lapland 
Longspur),  148. 

Savanna  {see  Savanna  Sparrow),  155. 

Snow  {see  Snowflake),  59. 

Towhee  {see  Chewink),  58. 

Tree  {see  Tree  Sparrow),  161. 
Buntings,  the,  7. 

Camp  Robber  {see  Canada  Jay),  79. 
Canary,  Wild  {see  American  Goldfinch), 

190. 
Cardinal  {see  Cardinal  Grosbeak),  215. 
Carrion-bird,  Canadian  (^tv  Canada  Jay), 

79- 
Catbird,    12,    19,    20,   21,  22,  2g,  30,  31, 

36,  80. 

Catbirds,  the,  12. 
Cedar  Bird  {see  Bird,  Cedar),  144. 
Chat,  Polyglot  (i-^"^  Yellow-breasted  Chat), 
206. 
Yellow-breasted,   12,  19,  21,  22,  29, 

30,  31,  36,  206. 

Chebec  {see  Least  Flycatcher),  75. 
Cherry-bird  {see  Cedar  Bird),  144. 
Chewink,  8,  21,  29,  30,  32,  36,  58. 
Chickadee,    14,    rg,    20,   21,    27,  28,  29, 

31,  35,  76. 

family  {see  Titmouse  family),  13. 
Chip-bird  {see  Chipping  Sparrow),  149. 
Chipper,  Arctic  {see  Tree  Sparrow),  161. 
Chippy  {see  Chipping  Sparrow),  149. 

Meadow  {see  Seaside  Sparrow),  156. 

Winter  (j^^  Tree  Sparrow),  161. 
Clape  {see  Flicker),  130. 
Corn  Thief  {see  Common  Crow),  41. 
Cowbird,   7,   20,   21,   22,    28,   30,  31,  36, 

49. 
Creeper,  Brown,  13,  20,  21,  28,  35,  145. 

family,  13. 
Crossbill,  American,  8,  19,  20,  28,   220. 

Red  {see  American  Crossbill),  220. 

White-winged   Red,   8,    19,  20,   28, 
221. 
Crossbills,  the,  7,  21,  35. 
Crow  and  Jay  family,  6. 


229 


Index 


Crow,  Common,  6,  19,  20,  21,  22,  27,  28, 

36,  41- 

Fish,  6,  19,  20,  21,  22,  27,  28,  36, 

42. 
Rain  (j<?(f  Black-billed  Cuckoo)  139  ; 

also  Yellow-billed  Cuckoo,  141. 
Rusty  {see  Rusty  Blackbird),  46. 
Cuckoo  family,  3. 

Black-billed,  3,   19,  20,  2i,  28,  30, 

31,  36,  139- 

Yellow-billed,  3,  19,  20,  21,  28,  30, 

31,  36,  141. 

Devil  Downhead  (j^ri? White-breasted  Nut- 
hatch), 84. 
Dove,  Carolina  {see  Mourning  Dove),  108. 
family  {see  Pigeon  and  Dove  fam- 
ily), 15- 
Mourning,  15,  21,  22,  28,  36,  108. 
Turtle  {see  Mourning  Dove),  108. 

Finch  family,  7. 

Ferruginous  (j^^  Fox  Sparrow),  153. 
Yoxy{see  Fox  Sparrow),  153. 
Gold  {see  Goldfinch),  190. 
Grass  {see  Vesper  Sparrow),  162. 
Pine  {see  Pine  Siskin),  146. 
Purple,  8,  19,  20,  21,  23,  28,  29,  30, 

32,  35,  223. 

Seaside  {see  Seaside  Sparrow),  156. 

Swamp  {see  Swamp  Song  Sparrow), 
160. 

Towhee  Ground  {see  Chewink),  58. 
Firebird  {see  Scarlet  Tanager),  2 1 8. 
Flicker,  4,  19,  21,  22,  27,  28,  30,  32,  36, 

130. 
Flycatcher,  Acadian,  5, 19,  22,  28,  31,  35, 
182. 

Canadian    {see   Canadian   Warbler), 
194. 

Crested     {see    Great    Crested    Fly- 
catcher), 72. 

Dusky  {see  Phcebe),  71. 

family,  5,  19,  20,  21,  22,  23. 

Great  Crested,  5,  19,  20,  22,  28,  30, 

31,  35,  72. 

Least,  5,  19,  20,  22,  28,  30,  31,  35, 

75. 

Olive-sided,  5,  19,  28,  31,  36,  74. 

Say's,  5,  19,  22,  28,  72. 

Small    Green-crested    {see    Acadian 

Flycatcher),  182. 
Sylvan  {see  Blue-gray  Gnatcatcher), 

no. 
Tyrant  {see  Kingbird),  68. 
Wilson's  {see  Wilson's  Warbler),  202. 
Yellow-bellied,  5,  19,  22,  28,  31,  35, 

183. 


Gnatcatcher,  Blue-gray,    14,  19,  20,  22, 
29,  35,  110. 


Gnatcatcher  family,  14. 
Goatsucker  family,  4. 

Long-winged  {see  Nighthawk),  138. 
Goldcrest,  Golden-crowned  {see  Golden- 
crowned  Kinglet),  174. 
Goldfinch,  8,   19,  20,  21,  22,  23,  27,  28, 

29,  30,  35,  190. 
European,   191. 

Crackle,  Bronzed,  7,  19,  20,  21,  22,  28, 

30,  32,  36,  46. 

Keel-tailed  {see  Purple  Crackle),  44. 

Purple,  7,  19,  20,  21,  22,  28,  30,  32, 
36,  44. 

Rusty  {see  Rusty  Blackbird),  46. 
Grasel  {see  Chewink),  58. 
Grass-bird,  Red  {see  Swamp  Song  Spar- 
row), 160. 
Greenlet  family  {see  Vireo  family),  10. 
Grosbeak,  Blue,  8,  28,  36,  105. 

Cardinal,  8,  21,  27,  28,  29,  36,  215. 

Evening,  8,  28,  36,  192. 

Pine,  8,  20,  27,  36,  219. 

Rose-breasted,  8,  21,  28,  30,  31,  36, 
60. 
Grosbeaks,  the,  7,  19,  20,  21. 

Hair-bird  {see  Chipping  Sparrow),  149. 
Halcyon  {see  Belted  Kingfisher),  102. 
Hang-nest  {see  Baltimore  Oriole),  211. 

Orchard  {see  Orchard  Oriole),  227. 
Hawk,  Mosquito  {see  Nighthawk),  138. 
Heron,  Venison  {see  Canada  Jay),  79. 
High-hole  or  High-holder  {see  Flicker), 

130. 
Humming-bird  family,  5. 

Ruby-throated,  5,  19,  21,  28,  30,  31, 
35,  170- 

Indigo  Bird  {see  Indigo  Bunting),  loi. 

Jay,  Blue,  6,  19,  20,  21,  27,  28,  36,  104. 

Canada,  6,  20,  21,  22,  28,  36,  79. 

family  {see  Crow  and  Jay  family),  6. 
Junco,  8,  21,  22,  27,  31,  35,  83. 

Kingbird,  5,  19,  20,  22,  23,  28,  30,  31, 

35,  68. 

Kingfisher,  Belted,  3,  20,  21,  23,  28,  30, 

36,  102. 
family,  3. 

Kinglet  family,  14. 

Golden-crowned,  14,  20,  21,  28,  32, 

35,  174- 
Ruby-crowned,  14,   20,  21,   28,  30, 
32,  35,  172. 

Lark,  Brown  or  Red  (see  American  Pipit), 

135. 
family,  5. 

Field  {see  Meadowlark),  132. 
Horned,  6,  21,  22,  23,  27,  31,  36, 

134. 


230 


Index 


Lark,  Meadow  {see  Meadowlark),  132. 
Oldfield  {see  Meadowlark),  132. 
Pine  {see  Pine  Siskin),  146. 
Prairie  {see  Western  Meadowlark), 

133- 

Prairie  Homed,  6,  22,  27,  29,  135. 

Purple  {see  Purple  Finch),  223. 

Redpoll  {see  Redpoll),  222. 

Shore  {see  Horned  Lark),  134. 

Snow  {see  Snowflake),  59. 

Tit  (ji?^  American  Pipit),  135. 
Linnets,  the,  7. 
Longspur,  Lapland,  8,  22,  28,  35,  148. 

Smith's  Painted,  8,  22,  28,  35,  147. 

Maize  Thief  {see  Purple  Crackle),  44. 
Martin,  Bee  {see  Kingbird),  68. 

Purple,  9,  19,  21,  29,  30,  31,  36,  48. 

Sand  {see  Bank  Swallow),  143. 
Mavis  {see  Brown  Thrasher),  121. 
Maybird  {see  Bobolink),  61. 
Meadowlark,  7,  21,   22,   23,    27,   29,  30, 
32,  36,  132. 

Western,  7,  21,  22,   23,   27,   29,  36, 

133- 

Mocking-bird,  12,  19,  20,  21,  29,  36,  81. 

Brown  {see  Brown  Thrasher),  121. 

French  {see  Brown  Thrasher),  121. 

Yellow,  206. 
Mocking-birds,  the,  12. 
Nighthawk,  4,  19,  20,  21,  22,  23,  28,  30, 

31,  36,  138. 
Nightingale,  European,  125. 

Virginia    {see    Cardinal    Grosbeak), 
215. 
Nightjar  {see  Nighthawk),  138. 
Nine-killer  {see  Northern  Shrike),  87. 
Nuthatch,  Canada  {see  Red-breasted  Nut- 
hatch), 85. 

family,  13,  21, 

Red-breasted,  13,  20,  28,  32,  35,  85. 

White-breasted,   13,  20,  27,   29,  32, 

35,  84. 

Oriole,  Baltimore,  7,   19,  21,  28,  30,  31, 

36,  211. 

Brown-headed  {see  Cowbird),  49. 

family    {see    Blackbird    and    Oriole 
family),  6. 

Golden  {see  Baltimore  Oriole),  211. 

Orchard,  7,   19,  21,   28,  30,  31,  36, 
227. 

Red-winged  {see  Red-winged  Black- 
bird), 47. 

Rusty  {see  Rusty  Blackbird),  46. 
Ortolan,  American  {see  Bobolink),  61. 
Ovenbird,   12,  21,  22,  23,  29,  30,  31,  35, 
180. 

Pewee,  Bridge  {see  Phoebe),  71. 

Small  {sei  Acadian  Flycatcher),  1S2, 


Pewee,  Water  {see  Phoebe),  71. 

Wood,  5,  19,  20,  2?,  23,  28,  30,  31, 

36,  69. 
Phoebe,  5,  19,  20,  22,  23,  28,  30,  32,  35, 

71- 

Say's,  72. 
Pigeon  and  Dove  family,  15. 
Pipit,  American,  12,  21,  22,    23,    28,  30, 

35,  135- 
Pipits,  the,  12. 

Piramidig  {see  Nighthawk),  138. 
Pisk  {see  Nighthawk),  138. 
Pocket-bird  {see  Scarlet  Tanager),  218. 
Preacher,  the  {see  Red-eyed  Vireo),  176. 

Raven,  American,   6,  19,  20,  28,  36,  43. 

Northern  {see  American  Raven),  43. 

White-necked,  44. 
Re'collet  {see  Cedar  Bird),  144. 
Redbird,  Black-winged  {see  Scarlet  Tan- 
ager), 218. 

Crested  {see  Cardinal  Grosbeak),  215. 

{see  Summer  Tanager),  216. 

Smooth-headed   {see  Summer  Tana- 
ger), 216. 

Virginia    {see    Cardinal    Grosbeak), 

215. 
Redhead  {see  Red-headed  Woodpecker), 

53- 
Redpoll,  8,  21,  22,  27,  35,  222. 

Greater,  8,  21,  22,  27,  35,  223. 

Lesser  {see  Redpoll),  222. 
Redstart,  12,  19,  29,  31,  35,  210. 
Reedbird  {see  Bobolink),  61. 
Robin,  American,  14,  19,  20,  21,  22,  27, 
28,  29,  30,  32,  225. 

Blue  {see  Bluebird),  99. 

Canada  {see  Cedar  Bird),  144. 

English  {see  Baltimore  Oriole),  211. 

Golden  {see  Baltimore  Oriole),  211. 

Ground  {see  Chewink),  58. 

Redbreast    {see    American    Robin), 
225. 

Wood  {see  Wood  Thrush),  123. 

Sapsucker    {see    Yellow-bellied     Wood- 
pecker), 57. 
Shrike  family,  9. 

Loggerhead,  10,   19,  20,  21,  29,  36, 

86. 
Northern,  10,  19,  20,  21,  27,  32,  36, 
87. 
Silktail  {see  Bohemian  Waxwmg),  88. 
Siskin,  Pine,  8,  20,  28,  32,  35,  146. 
Skylark,  European,  5. 
Snowbird   {see  Junco),    83  ;   also   Snow- 
flake,  59. 
Lapland    {see   Lapland    Longspur), 

148. 
Little  {see  Redpoll),  222. 
Slate-colored  {see  Junco),  83. 


231 


Index 


Snowflake,  8,  22,  27,  36,  59. 

Sparrow,  Bush  {see  Field  Sparrow),  152. 

Canada    {see    Tree    Sparrow),    161  ; 
also  White-throated  Sparrow,  165. 

Chipping,  7,  19,  20,  22,  27,  28,  30, 

35,  149. 

English,  7,  20,  22,  27,  28,  151. 

Field,  7,  22,  28,  30,  32,  152. 

Fox,  7,  20,  21,  22,  27,  28,  29,  32, 

36,  153. 

Fox-colored   {see  Fox  Sparrow),  153. 
Grasshopper,  7,  22,  28,  31,  35,  154. 
House  {see  English  Sparrow),  151. 
Marsh  {see  Swamp  Song  Sparrow), 

160. 
Savanna,  7,  22,  28,  32,  35,  155. 
Seaside,  7,  22,  28,  35,  156. 
Sharp-tailed,  7,  22,  28,  35,  157. 
Social  {see  Chipping  Sparrow),  149. 
Song,  8,  20,  21,  22,  23,  27,  28,  30, 

35,  158. 
Swamp  {see  Swamp  Song  Sparrow), 

160. 
Swamp  Song,  8,  22,  27,  28,  30,  32, 

35,  160. 
Tree,  8,  19,  20,  21,   22,   27,  31,  35, 

161, 
Vesper,  8,  20,  22,  23,  27,  2S,  30,  31, 

^35,  162. 
White-crowned,    8,    20,  21,   22,  27, 

32,  36,  164. 
White-throated,    8,   20,    21,   22,   27, 

30,  31,  36,  165. 
Wood  {see  Field  Sparrow),  152. 
Yellow-winged      {see      Grasshopper 

Sparrow),  154. 
Sparrows,  the,  7,  ig,  21,  22. 
Starling,  Orchard  {see  Orchard  Oriole), 

227. 
Red-winged  {see  Red-winged  Black- 
bird), 47. 
Swallow,  Bank,  9,  19,  22,  23,  29,  30,  35, 

143. 

Bam,  9,  ig,  21,  22,  23,  29,  30,  35, 

106. 
Chimney  {see  Chimney  Swift),  67. 
Cliff,  9,  19,  21,  22,  23,  2g,  30,  31,  35, 

107. 
Crescent  {see  Cliff  Swallow),  107. 
Eave  {see  Cliff  Swallow),  107. 
family,  g,  20,  22,  23. 
Rocky  Mountain  {see  Cliff  Swallow), 

107. 
Rough-winged,  g,  ig,  22,  23,  2g,  35, 

144. 
Sand  {see  Bank  Swallow),  143. 
Tree,  g,  ig,  22,  23,  2g,  30,  35,  169. 
White-bellied    {see   Tree    Swallow), 

i6g. 
Swamp  Angel  {see  Hermit  Thrush),  125. 
Swift,  American  (j-^c"  Chimney  Swift),  67. 


Swift,  Chimney,   5,   ig,   21,   23,  28,  30, 
31,  35,  67. 
family,  4. 

Tanager,  Canada  {see  Scarlet  Tanager), 
218, 
family,  8,  21. 

Scarlet,  8,  ig,  28,  30,  31,  36,  2l8. 
Summer,  8,  ig,  2g,  36,  216, 
Teacher,  the  {see  Ovenbird),  180. 
Thrasher,  Brown,  12,  ig,  20,  21,  22,  2g, 

30,  32,  36,  121. 
Thrashers,  the,  12. 

Thrush,  Alice's,  15,  2g,  30,  32,  36,  126. 
Aquatic       {see      Northern        Water 

Thrush),  I2g. 
Black-capped  {see  Catbird),  80. 
Brown  {see  Brown  Thrasher),  121. 
family,  14,  ig,  21. 
Gray-cheeked   {see  Alice's  Thrush), 

126. 
Golden-crowned  {see  Ovenbird),  180. 
Ground  {see  Brown  Thrasher),  121, 
Hermit,  15,  29,  30,  31,  36,  125. 
Little  {see  Hermit  Thrush),  125. 
Louisiana  Water,  12,  21,  22,  23,  29, 

30,  31,  35,  125. 
New    York    {see    Northern     Water 

Thrush),    129. 
Northern  Water,  12,  21,  22,  23,  29, 

30,  31,  35,  126. 
Olive-backed,   15,   29,    30,    32,    36, 

127. 
Red  {see  Brown  Thrasher),  121. 
Red-breasted      or     Migratory      {see 

American  Robin),  225. 
Song  {see  Wood  Thrush),  123. 
Sv.-ainson's    {see   Olive-backed 

Thrush),  127. 
Tawny  {see  Wilson's  Thrush),  122. 
Wilson's,  15,  21,  22,  2g,  30,  31,  32, 

36,  122. 
Wood,  15,  20,  21,  29,  30,  31,  32,  36, 
123. 
Tit,  Black-capped  {see  Chickadee),  76. 
Titlark  {see  American  Pipit),  135. 
Titmouse  Black-capped  {see  Chickadee), 
76. 
Crested  {see  Tufted  Titmouse),  78. 
family,  13,  21. 
Tufted,  14,    ig,    20,   21,   27,  28,  2g, 

.31,  35,  78. 

Tomtit,  Crested  {see  Tufted  Titmouse), 
78. 

Torch-bird  {see  Blackburnian  Warbler), 
2og. 

Towhee  {see  Chewink),  58. 

Tree-mouse  {see  White-breasted  Nut- 
hatch), 84. 

Tricolor  {see  Red-headed  WoodpeckerX 
53- 


233 


Index 


Veery  {see  Wilson's  Thrush),  122. 
Vireo,   Blue-headed  {see  Solitary  Vireo), 

175- 
family,  10,  19,  21,  22. 
Red-eyed,  10,  20,  22,  29,  30,  31,  35, 

176. 
Solitary,  10,   20,    22,  29,  30,  31,  35, 

175.' 

Warbling,  10,  20,  22,  29,  30,  31,  35, 

179. 
"White-eyed,    10,   20,    21,  22,  29,  30, 

31,  35,  177- 
Yellow-throated,   10,   20,  22,  29,  30, 

31,  35,  189. 

Wagtail,    Aquatic    Wood    {see   Northern 
Water  Thrush),  129. 
Golden-crowned  {see  Ovenbird),  180. 
Wood  {see  Ovenbird),  180. 
Wagtails,  the,  12. 
Wake-up  {see  Flicker),  130. 
Warbler,   Bay-Breasted,    11,  29,   30,   31, 
90. 
Black-and-white  Creeping,    11,   20, 

29,  30,  31,  64. 
Black-and-yellow      {see       Magnolia 

Warbler),  197. 
Blackburnian,  11,  29,  31,  209. 
Black-masked  Ground  {see  Maryland 

Yellowthroat),  207. 
Blackpoll,  II,  19,  20,  29,  63. 
Black-throated  Blue,  11,  29,  30,  31, 

95. 

Black-throated  Green,  11,  29,  30, 
184. 

Bloody-sided  {see  Chestnut-sided 
Warbler),  90. 

Blue-headed  Yellow-rumped  {see 
Magnolia  Warbler),  197. 

Blue-winged,  11,  20,  29,  193. 

Blue-winged  Yellow  {see  Blue- 
winged  Warbler),  193. 

Blue  Yellow-backed  {see  Parula 
Warbler),  94. 

Canadian,  11,  19,  22,  23,  29,  31, 
194. 

Chestnut-sided,  11,  29,  30,  31,  90. 

Golden  {see  Yellow  Warbler),  204. 

Golden-winged,   11,  29,  30,  31,  91. 

Green  Black-capped  {see  Wilson's 
Warbler),  202. 

Hemlock  {see  Blackburnian  War- 
bler), 209. 

Hooded,  11,  21,  22,  29,  31,  195. 

Kentucky,  11,  22,  196. 

Magnolia,  11,  29,  30,  197. 

Mourning,  11,  21,  22,  29,  198. 

Mourning  Ground  {see  Mourning 
Warbler),  198. 

Myrtle,  11,  21,  27,  29,  30,  92. 

Nashville,  11,  29,  199. 


Warbler,    Orange-throated    {see    Black- 
burnian Warbler),  209. 

Palm,  II,  22,  29,  204. 

Parula,  11,  29,  30,  31,  94. 

Pine,  II,  20,  29,  30,  31,  200. 

Pine    Creeping  {see   Pine  Warbler), 
200. 

Prairie,  11,  22,  29,  31,  201. 

Redpoll  {see  Palm  Warbler),  204. 

Ruby-crowned    {see    Ruby-crowned 
Kinglet),  172. 

Spotted  {see  Magnolia  Warbler),  197. 

Spotted     Canadian     {see    Canadian 
Warbler),  194. 

Wilson's,  12,  19,  22,  23,  29,  31,  202. 

W^orm-eating,    12,    20,   22,    29,    31, 
181. 

Yellow,  12,    19,   20,   22,  23,  29,  3c, 
31,  204. 

Yellow-crowned    {see    Myrtle   War- 
bler), 92. 

Yellow   Palm    {see    Yellow    Redpoll 
Warbler),  203. 

Yellow  Redpoll,   12,  22,  29,  30,  31, 
203. 

Yellow-rumped  {see  Myrtle  Warbler), 
92. 

Yellow-tailed  {see  Redstart),  210. 
Waxwing,  Black-throated  {see  Bohemian 
Waxwing),  88. 

Bohemian,  9,  19,  20,  27,  36,  88. 

Cedar  {see  Cedar  Bird),  144. 

family,  9. 

Lapland  {see   Bohemian  Waxwing), 
88. 
Whisky  Jack  or  John  {see  Canada  Jay), 

79- 
Whitebird  {see  Snowflake),  59. 
Whippoorwill,  4,  19,  20,  21,  22,  28,  31, 

35,  136. 
Will-o'-the-Wisp  {see  Nighthawk),  138. 
Woodpecker,  Downy,  4,  19,  27,  28,  35, 

55- 

family,  3,  21,  22. 
Golden-winged  {see  Flicker),  130. 
Hairy,  4,  19,  27,  28,  36,  54. 
Pigeon  {see  Flicker),  130. 
Red-headed,  4,   19,  27,  28,  30,  32, 

36,  53. 

Yellow-bellied,  4,  19,  27,  28,  30,  32, 

35,  57- 
Yellow-shafted  {see  Flicker),  130. 
Wood  Warbler  family,  10,  19,  20,  21,  35. 
Wren,  Carolina,  13,  21,  22,  27,  28,  29, 

116. 
family,  13,  19,  21,  22,  35. 
Fiery-crowned  {see  Golden-crowned 

Kinglet),  174. 
House,  13,  20,  29,  30,  31,  115. 
Long-billed  Marsh,   13,  22,  29,  30, 

31.  119- 


Index 


Wren,    Mocking    (see    Carolina   Wren), 

ii6. 
Ruby-crowned    (see    Ruby-crowned 

King-let),  172. 
Short-billed  Marsh,  13,  29,  30,  31, 

120. 

Winter,  13,  21,  22,  23,  28,  31,  117. 


Yarup  (see  Flicker),  130. 

Yellowbird  (see  American  Goldfinch),  190. 

Summer  (see  Yellow  Warbler),  204. 
Yellowhammer  (see  Flicker),  130. 
Yellow  Poll  (see  Yellow  Warbler),  204. 
Yellowthroat,  Maryland,  12,  19,  21,  22, 
23,  29,  30,  31,  207. 


234 


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